Ritual
by Death By Segway Scooter
Summary: History has been known to repeat itself. But when someone tries to force it to repeat, it isn't always happy to comply.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akira, and stuff. The actual guy that does is Katsuhiro Otomo. I just write about it in my spare time. I didn't make up the pool van either; some guys on a Japanese TV show actually made one (though I can't seem to find their names).

**Ritual  
Chapter 1**

It was the middle of the evening with clear, starry skies. All was quiet along a small two-lane road. There was nothing but the sound of crickets and the occasional car driving by.

It hadn't been that way earlier. Since early that morning, that particular road had seen more traffic than it ever had. A great number of people had been very eager to leave the city, and the small road had been jammed just as if it were a busy expressway. But now it was late at night, and the traffic had long since died down. All was silent.

But then the silence was suddenly broken - though rather vaguely - by a lone figure walking swiftly through the grass along the road. The figure was dressed in a long cloak, the hood of which was worn up. Though it wasn't cold, he was wearing a scarf across his face. Periodically, the person would look around, as if to make sure he wasn't being followed.

Eventually, he wandered away from the road and ducked into a small wooded area. Hidden amongst the trees and the underbrush was an old shack. Though the place looked old and rotting, it was hardly abandoned; the figure could see a light on inside. He took one last look around before creeping through the foliage and slipping in the doorway. As he entered, the light inside immediately went out.

"Did anyone see you?" a voice greeted him.

The figure pulled the scarf down from around his mouth. "No, they didn't," he answered.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright then."

"What is it you called me here for?"

"Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Wednesday?" The figure almost snickered.

"Be serious, now."

"Yes, I know what tomorrow is. Everyone does. That's why most of them are trying to leave for a few days."

"In ways they are wise. But in ways they are foolish, for they will not be able to witness what shall come."

"What _is_ coming?"

"You know that tomorrow is a special day in more ways than one, right?"

"Yes, but-" There was a gasp as the figure suddenly put things together.

"You're a quick learner," the voice said sarcastically.

"...Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" the figure swallowed hard. "Should we really be doing this?"

"Is it right not to?" the voice asked.

The figure didn't seem to have an answer.

In the darkness, there was a noise of a chair scooting across the floor and heavy footsteps. The owner of the voice had apparently stood up and was now pacing around the shack.

"Now it is true that the first two times brought great calamity," the voice continued, "but what everyone fails to consider is that great good also came out of them. If neither incidents had happened, we would know nothing of the power that lies dormant in the human mind. Would we be any better off?"

"I...guess not," the figure said.

"We are the only ones who can do this," the voice continued. "We are the only ones with the courage and the know-how. Would it be right to go against fate and deprive mankind of its destiny?"

The cloaked man took a moment to get over his shock before asking his obscured leader another question. "But how are we going to do it? It seems impossible..."

"I do not think you have heard about it," the leader answered, "but there is a certain 'game' that has gotten popular among young people in the last few years. They do it as a dare, trying to scare each other. The game is played by performing a ritual." He paused a second to recall the procedure. "One must place a food offering in front of a mirror coated in human blood. Then one must say a certain word three times in front of the mirror. Then HE will appear."

Again, the cloaked figure stood there in stunned silence. He knew who this "he" was - but his silence was more due to the method rather than the person in question. They were going to use an urban myth to do this?

"We're going to use a..._game_ sir?" he asked, confused. "Will that work?"

"It sounds a little, shall we say, 'ridiculous,' does it not?" the leader asked.

"Uhhh, no sir!" the cloaked man backpedaled.

The leader chuckled. "I must admit, when I was first informed of it, I doubted it myself," he explained. There was a rustling of paper in the darkness. Suddenly, he felt something pressed into his chest. He quickly grabbed it. It was a sheet of paper, though it was too dark to read. The cloaked man reached in his pocket and took out a penlight. Turning it on, he could see that his leader had handed him a newspaper clipping. The headline read "Police Baffled in Mysterious Student Mauling." As he skimmed through the article, he read that the college students involved in this bizarre mishap had been playing the game his leader had just described. He could also see the newspaper's title at the top of the clipping - this was no tabloid article.

"But after I did a bit of research," the leader continued, "I quickly found that this could very well be our best lead."

"What if this doesn't work...?" the cloaked subordinate asked, still confused.

"Losing your faith?" the leader asked.

"Er...no sir!" the figure retorted.

"Good!" the leader snickered. "But just in case it was, I can assure you that you need not worry about that. We have alternate plans in case something goes wrong."

The cloaked man seemed somewhat relieved about that. Somewhat.

"We will worry about them when the time comes," the leader said. "For now, I need you to go and find something out for me."

"The word?"

"Yes, the word."

* * *

He wanted to scream.

Pulling into the garage was yet another pool van. He wanted to just tear his graying hair out and scream. Or bang his head against the nearest convenient wall. Or do a combination of both. However, he knew not to do that in front of a customer; it was unprofessional. Instead, he just groaned to himself and wished summer would be over sooner.

"I think the filter needs changing," the customer explained. "Oh, and the tires need rotating too."

"Alright, I'll get right on it," he sighed. "I'll call you when it's finished." He did his best to hide the frustration in his voice.

"How long will it probably take?"

"Oh, a day or two."

"Will you be closed tomorrow?"

"Nope."

"Really? Wow. Okay, you have my number right?"

"Sure do."

"Okay, thanks!"

He waited until the customer left the garage, and was halfway down the street before slumping down on a crate and burying his hands in his face. If there was one thing the nearly 47-year-old Shotaro Kaneda hated working on, it was a pool van.

Pool vans were just that - a combination of a swimming pool and a van. Somebody came up with the idea around the turn of the century, but it wasn't until a few years ago when some idiot improved on the design and mass produced it that it became so popular. Every summer the streets would be lined with the accursed aquatic vehicles, with the people inside splashing about and playing various water sports. With the way some of the drivers would try to join in, he was surprised there weren't more accidents. It was even worse if one happened to be a pedestrian, or much like himself, riding down the street on a motorcycle. One was sure to get wet whenever one of those things drove by; utterly soaked if a bad driver was behind the wheel. And if the owner of the van was rather messy, the unfortunate splash victim would find himself or herself coated in algae.

And needless to say, it would be in one's best interest to stay far away from a pool van containing small children.

But that wasn't why Kaneda had such a vendetta against them. What he actually hated was working on them. He practically had to learn a new job in order to work on them. He was a mechanic dammit, not a pool boy! Of all the stupid things they had to invent instead of the flying car. Why wasn't that around, anyway? They had hoverbikes a long time ago...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle engine. He looked up to see Kai, his long time friend and current assistant manager, pulling into the garage. He had a large box strapped to his bike.

"'Ey, Kaneda," he said as he put his bike in park. "I got them cans of motor oil you wanted."

"Just...put it on the table over there," Kaneda sighed. "I'll get to it in a minute."

Kai wondered to himself what his boss was so put off about. Then he spotted the pool van across the room. "Aw man, not another one of those things!" he cried.

"Yeah, _another_ one," Kaneda grunted. "I wish people would go back to drivin' convertibles in the summer."

As Kai unstrapped the box and carried it over to a workbench against a wall, a question popped into his mind. He was a bit afraid to ask it though; for the longest time, the unspoken rule was "Don't talk about it ever." However, maybe enough time had passed for the taboos to wear off...

"'Ey, Kaneda...," he began awkwardly as he put the box down on the wooden table. He turned to find his boss inspecting the pool van's filter system. Not a good time. "Aw, never mind."

"...It's about tomorrow, isn't it?" Kaneda asked, not looking up from the filter.

"Uh...yeah, it is," the younger mechanic replied sheepishly. "But that's okay, I don't need to-"

"Naw, it's alright," Kaneda replied, finally looking up from the van. "That happened a long time ago. What is it you were gonna ask?"

"Really? Well, okay," Kai said. "I was just wonderin' if you were, y'know, gonna do anything tomorrow?"

"Nope," was the answer. "And I'm not closin' either, so I hope you weren't plannin' on bailin' outta town like the rest of them pussies!"

"I was _not_!" Kai retorted. Of course, in reality he had considered it several times. "I was just...I did think about goin' to the crater, though. Like, maybe after work. Were you gonna go?"

"Nah, too many lunatics," Kaneda replied. "I'm just gonna go about my business as usual."

Kai just shrugged. "Well...okay, then."

It had been thirty-one years since the second Akira phenomenon. Quite a few things had changed since then, to say the least.

The city had been rebuilt, but not all of it. Though the second crater had been drained of water, the area right around it had not been restored just like the first one. A lot of people seemed to think it was bad luck to try and build over it. This also meant that the Olympic stadium had not been rebuilt, and consequently, Neo Tokyo had lost the rights to the 2020 Olympics. And it seemed as if there weren't going to be any Olympic games there for a long time coming, for no one dared make any plans to build it elsewhere in the city.

Kaneda and Kai weren't left with much to do after the second phenomenon. Not only did the Clowns immediately leave town, so did all the "cavalry" members of the Capsules. It was basically just down to them and Kei. They managed to take on a few odd jobs here and there to keep themselves busy. Most of them involved city reconstruction, since that obviously had the biggest job market at the time. After a few years, Kaneda decided to start his own auto repair garage; after all, he had plenty of experience around vehicles. Those that knew him were a bit skeptical when he started. However, he must have done something right, for he was in business ever since. His cherished red motorcycle even became the shop's mascot. It on display for a few years inside the garage, but after it nearly got stolen a few times, Kaneda was forced to put it in the back. It could still be seen on the shop's logo.

Kei, on the other hand, was still on the political front and probably always would be. If there was any kind of political rally in town, she was sure to be there. In fact, many times she was the one organizing them. This kept her quite busy, and Kaneda didn't get to see her much any more. He had actually gotten engaged to her ten years ago, but had never popped the question. With her long absences, doing so just seemed unnecessary.

As for the psychics, no one had seen hide nor hair of them since. And it looked like no one would see anyone of their ilk in Neo Tokyo ever again, for the first thing Colonel Shikishima did the next day was terminate the Akira Project. To drive the point home, he made it the highest felony he could: anyone caught trying to continue the project or use its data would be immediately executed and the data destroyed. Apparently everyone liked the idea, for even after the government was restored and changed hands through the years, this law remained in place and untouched. Of course, someone could still smuggle the data out of the country and continue on somewhere else; however, no one seemed to care as long as any disastrous results were not within Japanese borders this time.

Despite all this, quite a few people were worried about Akira making an encore appearance tomorrow. This had to do with the fact that thirty-one years had passed between the first and second phenomena. And since this was the thirty-first year after the second blast, most were worried about a third. This is why a good-sized chunk of the city's population decided to take all their vacations now. Fortunately for Kaneda, this meant it was highly unlikely anyone was going to bring in another dreaded pool van for a few days. Unfortunately, he was still stuck working on this one and there might be a deluge of them when everyone returned.

The two mechanics continued on working, though they had hastily dropped the subject. Despite the fact that so much time had passed, it was still tough to talk about it. This year was harder than most, given its significance. After a few hours of fixing up other orders and grudgingly poking at the pool van, it was time to close up shop.

"So Kaneda...ya sure you're not gonna close tomorrow?" Kai asked. The garage had almost been completely locked down now. Kai was sitting on his motorcycle, about to leave.

"Aw Kai, when have I _ever_ closed on that day?" Kaneda grunted, almost sounding a bit annoyed.

"I know, I know! I'm just kiddin'!" the younger mechanic replied, holding up his hands defensively. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, later," Kaneda said blandly, waving.

Kai started his bike's engine and drove off. Kaneda closed and locked the bay door behind him, as well as turned off all the lights. However, he didn't leave just yet.

He unlocked the door to the back room, relocking it after he stepped inside. This was the very back room where he kept his pride and joy - the red bike. It was currently in the corner, covered in a dusty old sheet.

Kaneda turned on the light, crossed the room, and removed the sheet. He really hoped the old thing still ran. Sure, it had been completely restored after it took that beating over thirty years ago, but he hadn't taken it out for a spin in a long time. Unfortunately, he didn't have time for a test drive.

He unlocked a pair of metal double doors on the side of the room and opened them up. He then guided the bike out into the alley before closing and locking the doors behind him. He started the engine, which fortunately sounded like it was running just fine. He slowly drove it down to the end of the alley before peeling out onto the rather empty street.

He hadn't meant to be so short with his old friend as they were closing up, but he had been getting a bit anxious. This was something he wanted to get over with, and he wanted to do it alone. He decided to drive his bike there, as he figured it was only appropriate.

It was true that he hadn't planned on going to the second crater tomorrow. It was also true that he didn't want to go because he wanted to avoid all the zealots that would be down there. But to say that he was never going to go there at all on this particular anniversary wasn't quite accurate. Instead, he was going _tonight_.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm out here. I must be insane!"

The aged biker was now standing at the edge of the crater that at one time had been an Olympic Stadium and a good-sized chunk of the city. At this late hour, it looked like a big black hole in the ground. There was a very eerie air about the place. It was the middle of summer, so of course it was supposed to be hot outside. But here it was cold. Kaneda almost felt like he should have brought a jacket. He also felt like someone was watching him. Like someone was hiding down in that pitch black pit, watching him and waiting. Waiting to jump out and maul him! Or maybe his imagination was just running wild.

By the time he had arrived here, it was already past midnight. Technically, it now really was the anniversary of the second Akira phenomenon. Thankfully, he was all alone. He didn't care to see what kind of kooks were going to be out here later in the morning. All the halfway sane people had skipped town. Add the fact this was the dreaded year thirty-one; Kaneda shuddered at the thought out what those wackos might be doing down here. Well as long as they weren't going to be conducting human sacrifices, he figured he might as well just ignore them and let them have their fun.

The religious view of Akira was one of the things that had really changed since then. Thirty-one years ago, the only ones who knew anything about him were people who worked for the government or cult members. Now everybody knew about him. But now, they didn't just see him as some sort of god; they also saw him as some sort of destructive guardian of Neo Tokyo. A slayer of evil psychics to be more precise.

When the fiasco leading up to the second phenomenon happened, almost everyone had mistaken Tetsuo for a risen Akira. Now they knew better. Somehow, they had gotten ahold of photographs showing Tetsuo in various poses next to a bunch of canisters labeled "Akira." Where those photos came from, Kaneda didn't know. They were probably leaked from the military, or they were taken by nosy by-standers with powerful long-range cameras. Either way, the photos had been plastered all over every newspaper and magazine as well as the Internet. Everybody knew now that the red caped terror that tore up part of the city and took out a bridge was some other government experiment gone wrong.

But that wasn't all they took photos of. There were even a few photos of Tetsuo's grotesque transformation in the stadium. They were all taken at a bird's eye view, so they had probably come from a passing military surveillance aircraft. These particular photos were perhaps the more important ones. Religious types would often use these photos to depict Tetsuo as some sort of "man turned monster" and Akira as some sort of "legendary hero" that magically appeared to slay the beast. While there was some truth behind their words, Kaneda wished they weren't so melodramatic about it. But he guessed that's what they were getting paid for.

As he continued to stare into the deep, dark pit he remembered just how unreal it all seemed. The day it all started - the day of Tetsuo's accident - began just like any other day. He got up that morning, had some breakfast, hung around the bar all day, and then went for a ride with the guys. The worst thing he thought would happen was maybe damaging his bike or losing to the Clowns; he certainly wasn't expecting the world to turn completely upside-down. Probably nobody else did, either. Even now, when the days would get a little too boring, he would worry about it happening again. Not necessarily another Akira-generated explosion, but something equally strange that would totally mess up his life again. Kaneda wanted his weird drama to stay in movies and books, thank you very much.

As for Tetsuo, Kaneda had mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he missed his old friend and wondered what happened to him. Where was he? Was he happier now, wherever he was? Was he back to normal, or was he still that massive, fleshy...thing? Was he something even worse? Was he even still alive?

On the other hand, when he thought about all the terrible things Tetsuo had done, he immediately stopped caring. He had torn up the city and had killed countless people, including Yamagata. The little bastard had even turned on Kaneda - while he was on a mission to rescue him, no less! - and had tried to kill him several times. So all of a sudden he thought Kaneda had been treating him like a kid, did he? Fine time to bring that up! What else had he been hiding all that time? Well, whatever Akira did with Tetsuo, he hoped it was painful. Good riddance.

But then when he remembered those strange flashback scenes while he was flying through that vortex, his sympathy started to creep back. They brought back all the good memories, like when they first met and when they used to go out riding. It also made him think about things he didn't want to think about. It made him question himself, his actions. Did he do something wrong? Did Tetsuo have a point and he really was too overbearing? Did shooting Tetsuo in the arm trigger that horrible mutation of his? And if it did, did that mean that Kaneda secretly had a hand in killing Kaori and destroying the city?

He shook his head. No, no...it wasn't like that. Tetsuo was already mutating by the time he got there. He remembered walking in on his trying to strangle Colonel Shikishima with his arm. But did the shot speed it up, or cause him to get bigger than he should? He had no idea.

But it's not like it mattered now anyway, right? There was no way of going back and finding out what would have happened had he _not_ shot Tetsuo. What's done was done. Hell, for all he knew, something _worse_ might have happened if Kaneda hadn't shot him. He might as well stop wasting his time thinking about it.

He sighed. _Well, I can't be sittin' around here all night,_ he thought. _Guess I better head on home._

He turned away from the crater and walked back to his motorcycle. He sat down and turned on the headlights. But just as he was about to start the engine, he heard an unfamiliar voice behind him.

"...Pardon me, are you Kaneda, Shotaro?"

The middle-aged man whipped his head around. From his bike's lights, he could see several people standing a short distance behind him. People dressed in monk's robes. Uh-oh. What did they want? And how did they know his name?

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Kaneda snapped. "Who wants to know?"

One of the monks stepped forward and gave a low bow. He held out a photograph. In the dim lighting, Kaneda could make out what was on it. It was a photo of him on his bike, firing that laser at Tetsuo in the stadium.

The monk spoke again, this time sounding excited. "You're the one who stood up to the Devourer!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akira, and stuff. The actual guy that does is Katsuhiro Otomo. I just write about it in my spare time. I didn't make up the pool van either; some guys on a Japanese TV show actually made one (though I can't seem to find their names).

**Ritual  
Chapter 2**

Kaneda gave the photo a long, hard glare. Great. Just fucking great. They had _pictures_ of him now. Did this mean every lunatic in the city was going to be showing up at his doorstep? Did they have pictures of Kei fighting Tetsuo too? Did she have to worry about them harassing her? Right now, he wished he still had that laser in the photograph; that way, if he ever found the idiot that kept taking all these pictures, he could drag him out into the street and shoot him!

He turned his glare to the monks. "Alright, ya got me," he growled. "Now whaddya want with me?"

The monks, upon hearing the had the correct man, quickly got on their hands and knees. Kaneda just rolled his eyes.

"Forgive us for disturbing you, oh Noble One," the first monk said. "We simply come to you with a humble request."

"Noble One," huh? "Disturbing" sounded like an understatement right about now. Still, he couldn't help but feel morbidly curious as to what this "humble request" was.

"And that is...?" he really hoped he wasn't going to regret this later.

"If it isn't too much trouble," the monk replied, sitting up, "we'd like to know if you could speak at the temple tomorrow. You can share with us your experience with the Devourer and Akira."

"Devourer" was their code name for Tetsuo. They had a few fancier ones liked "The Great Red Fiend" and "He Whose Appetite Cannot Be Satisfied," but "Devourer" seemed to be the most popular one. They used names like that because, quite frankly, they had no choice. No one knew his real name but a handful of people. Kaneda's gang and Kei were pretty much it. Colonel Shikishima had refused to disclose Tetsuo's identity in an attempt to distance himself from the Akira Project. Since the pictures just before the second blast showed him swallowing up everything around him, they came up with the nickname "Devourer" - as well as those fancier ones.

Kaneda gave the monks a withering look. "I dunno...," he said. "I'm not really a religious type. That and you guys might not like a lot of what I have to say."

"That is quite alright," the monk said, shrugging a little. "We are not here to convert you. Just a chance to talk with you is all we ask. And if our perceptions are wrong, we'd love to hear about it. After all, none of us were there; you, on the other hand, were."

The aged biker paused to think. These guys seemed to be a lot less loonier than he expected them to be. Still, he wasn't sure about walking into a temple _full_ of them. What if these guys were just the sane ones? He didn't want to walk in and find out they really _did_ have human sacrifices.

"If you are concerned about encountering zealots during your visit, have no fear," the monk suddenly added. "Religious tolerance is important to us. We heartily encourage it amongst our congregation and frown upon scornfulness toward other denominations and non-believers. You will not have to worry about getting into any altercations with any of our members or being subjected to any ritual you do not wish to take part of."

Kaneda actually jumped a little when he heard that. "How did-?" he yelped. Then he remembered who he was talking to and grunted. "No, lemme guess...you're psychic?"

"I'm afraid I am without the Gift," the monk replied. "I simply guessed that's what you were concerned about based on our conversation."

"Oh...uh, right," the middle-aged mechanic sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll...I'll have to think about it."

The monks stood up. The one that had done all the talking handed Kaneda a small card.

"If you do decide to come," he said, "here is our address. We will be greatly honored by your presence, oh Noble One."

"Uh, thanks...," Kaneda replied warily, taking the card.

"No, thank _you_," the monk responded. "Farewell." He and his companions bowed deeply before leaving. They seemed to just disappear into the shadows. Or maybe it was just really dark and Kaneda's eyesight wasn't what it used to be.

The aged biker glanced at the card. Unfortunately, he couldn't read it in the dim lighting; all he could see was that there was some kind of black flower printed on it. He wasn't sure if he should really go there. Those monks seemed friendly enough, and they told him everyone else was too - but could he really take their word for it? Besides, they were asking him to stand up in front of a large audience and give them all details on something he had been avoiding talking about for a long time. He didn't like to bring the subject up around his fiance and old friend, let alone a crowd of strangers!

On the other hand, this was a great opportunity to set some of these wackos straight. He could tell them what _really_ happened that night - that Akira didn't just magically appear on his own, and that Tetsuo didn't turn into a monster on purpose. He could also tell them Tetsuo's real name and put an end to all the goofy nicknames they keep coming up with. Who knows, maybe afterward they'd all be a little less...wacky.

That, and he had to admit that avoiding the subject all these years was getting a little ridiculous. He was pushing fifty now, and he could hardly talk about it with two people who had practically seen the whole thing? Maybe it was time to stop pretending like nothing ever happened; it's not like ignoring it had helped at all.

As he put the card in the pocket of his jeans, his eyes wandered over to the crater. Well, he had already done one insane thing today, why not another? It would at the very least be an excuse to close the shop early and give Kai that time off he had been oh-so-subtly needling him for.

With that, he started the old red bike's engine. As he pulled away from the crater, he couldn't help but feel like someone was watching him drive off.

* * *

"Oh, that is nasty! That is just nasty!"

It was the next morning, or rather, later that same morning. The day had been off to a good start. No sightings of black domes followed by massive explosions so far. It had been a rather slow day what with so many people out of town, but that just meant they had an extra day to finish all their current jobs. It also meant no more customers strolling in the door with more pool vans. Unfortunately, those good feelings came crashing down around Kaneda when he opened their current pool van's filter system. There was a lot of green in the van's filter cartridge. An awful lot. Both mechanics were currently sitting in the van's empty pool area (where the back seats would be in a normal van) gawking at it.

"Uh...that can't be cleaned, can it?" Kai asked.

"Oh, that's beyond cleanin'," Kaneda grunted. "We gotta replace it." He quickly put on a pair of gloves. "Here. I'll grab it, you get the new one!"

"On it!" Kai replied, climbing out of the van.

Kaneda gingerly reached into the small alcove in the floor of the vehicle where the filter was housed. Even with gloves on, he didn't really want to touch it. He quickly pulled the filthy cartridge out, climbed out of the van, and threw the thing in the trash.

As he climbed back into the van he noticed something. Apparently, the cartridge was filthier than expected; the algae was clogging the intake and outtake pipes. Looks like they'd have to clean that out too.

He also noticed something else: it was taking Kai way too long to find a replacement cartridge. Kaneda glanced over by the supply cabinets and saw why. The younger mechanic kept taking the various boxes out and putting them right up to his face in order to see what they were.

"Oh Kai, just put your freakin' glasses on already!" he barked.

"I don't need no stupid-ass readin' glasses!" Kai snapped back, defensively. Unfortunately, he was saying this while putting another cartridge box practically up to his nose. Still, if there was one thing Kai hated it was being reminded that he was getting old. People telling him to put his glasses on because his eyesight was going was one of such reminders. Well, at least it wasn't a crack about him "thinning on top"; those were the worst!

Thankfully, the box he had in his hand was the correct size cartridge. "See? Toldja I'd find it!" Kai scolded.

"Well you'll hafta lay it on a table for now," Kaneda sighed. "The pipes are all clogged with that green shit. We hafta clean those out first before we put the new cartridge in."

"What?" Kai cried. "Aw, dammit! Why do these things always hafta be such a pain in the ass?"

"Well," the older mechanic said, smirking, "we could always put it off till tomorrow."

"Whaddya mean?" the younger one said, raising an eyebrow. They had already finished all their other orders; this pool van was the only thing left to work on.

Kaneda looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost noon. "How 'bout we take the rest of the day off?" he asked.

Kai looked at him incredulously. "But Kaneda, you never close on this day."

"Yeah, sure I never close. But I never said I don't close _early_!"

"You sure?"

"'Course I'm sure!" Kaneda answered, climbing out of the van. "You go have fun over by that crater. I'll lock up behind you."

"Well, uh...thanks!" Kai replied, grinning. He tossed the box onto a random workbench and headed over toward his bike.

"Just watch out for them wackos over there," Kaneda warned, as he grabbed his keys and started locking up the place.

"Aw, don't worry about me," Kai reassured him as he climbed onto his motorcycle. "I'll be fine. And those guys are pretty harmless. A bit weird, but harmless."

Kaneda took this as a good sign. "Well uh,...good luck then."

"Later, Kaneda!" Kai started the engine on his bike and drove off.

The middle-aged biker finished up locking down the shop, but didn't turn off the lights just yet. He took out the card he received last night from the pocket of his jeans. He could read it now that the lighting was better. Well, most of it anyway. Perhaps Kai wasn't the only one that needed reading glasses now.

The place was called the "Temple of the Black Lotus." Sounded pretty menacing. But, they _did_ say they were harmless. Even Kai said they were harmless. He sure hoped he could take their word for it, because he was going there to practically tell them off.

He was really tempted not to go; he had a bad feeling about it. Still, the monk had practically begged him to come. He even called him "Noble One"! Kaneda grunted to himself. He was getting soft in his old age.

Well if he was going to go, he wasn't going to drive there. These people saw him as living history - and he didn't trust them not to try and take a part of history home with them in the form of dismantling his ride. He was going to take public transit instead. He didn't particularly like the idea, but he liked the idea of getting one of his bikes vandalized even less.

He sighed and put the card back into his pocket. He then turned off the lights and stepped outside. As he walked toward the nearest bus stop, he hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm out here. I must be insane!"

Kaneda was standing outside the gate of the Black Lotus Temple. Already there were several things about this place that made him want to turn around and run away as fast as he could.

The most obvious thing was that this temple was located near the scenic first crater. He thought people believed it was "bad luck" or "disrespectful" to build anything near a crater, but maybe that didn't apply to temples. Also, the gate was the only thing out here. No temple in sight. Now Kaneda may not have been an expert on architecture, but he was pretty sure a temple gate was supposed to have an actual temple behind it.

The gate was completely painted black and made out of wood - rotten wood. The thing looked like it could fall apart at any moment. However, it also looked like it was made out of rotting wood on purpose. On either side of the rotten gate were two large, onyx bird statues. They had no features other than their eyes, which were made out of some kind of red rock. They seemed to be some kind of hybrid between a crane and a vulture. They had a stony, stern gaze - not like they were about to peck him to death at any moment, but as if they were waiting for him to give them a reason to do so.

Kaneda stepped up to the rotten gate with its creepy black birds. Knowing these people, maybe there was some weird trick where the place would magically appear before him when he walked through it. As he walked through the archway the ground suddenly went out from under him, and he nearly fell over himself. He stumbled around, cursing as he regained his balance. As he looked down to see why he tripped, found himself to be standing on a ramp leading down into the ground. So that's why there was no temple behind the gate; it was _underground._ Well, these guys were certainly original.

He walked down the ramp into a dimly lit subterranean path. The only light came from small black lanterns that were inconveniently spaced far apart. Kaneda found himself running his hands along the walls so he wouldn't crash into them when the path took a turn.

Eventually he came out into an enormous artificial cavern. Here was where he found the temple - though he had to admit he had trouble seeing it. The lighting in here was not much better than the path leading to it.

A few meters away was another gate and a fence made out of black, rotting wood, just like the one above. There was even a sign on it warning people not to lean on it, lest they break it. This second gate, as well as the doorway he was standing in, also had those menacing bird statues on either side. Inside the gate was the temple itself. All the buildings were black with a white trim. Thankfully, they didn't appear to be made out of anything rotten. Outside of the second gate were various stands selling food and various items. All around the cavern, the temple's namesake black lotus blossom could be seen either painted onto the floor or walls, or in various flower arrangements. The scent of essence filled the air - either that or somebody waxed the floor, because the "essence" smelled an awful lot like bleach. Just like the craters outside, the temple was chilly and had an eerie atmosphere. He almost felt like he had walked into a crypt.

The place was jammed with people milling around. The vast majority of them seemed to be dressed in black or a combination of black and white. He also noticed that many of them were wearing strings of black beads wrapped around their right arms. He wondered what that was supposed to mean. He also wondered what the obsession was with all the damn black and rotting stuff.

He walked across this reception area and through the gate. Well so far, so good. Nobody was following him around, shouting at him, or trying to pounce on him. No sign of human sacrifices either. In fact, everybody seemed pretty normal - well, except that they were all wandering about in a creepy cave.

He looked around. He wondered where he was supposed to go now. Was he supposed to find those monks, or what? Maybe he was supposed to meet them in one of those buildings?

Kaneda wandered over to the largest building, the main hall. There was a long line of people outside, waiting for something. He noticed they all seemed to be carrying large fish tanks or coolers. Curious, he peeked in the doorway. Looking past the equally long line inside, he saw an ominously familiar sight: a large stone chair. It was that throne from the Olympic stadium! It had taken quite a beating, but it had somehow survived the blast. Unless of course that was a replica, and he just couldn't tell from this distance.

The throne looked like it had been painted red for some reason. He wasn't sure why. But a moment later, he got his answer when the next person in line dumped a whole bucket of dark red paint on the chair. At least, it _looked_ like red paint. The man then got on his hands and knees in some sort of prayer. Kaneda stood there mystified, wondering what exactly that was supposed to accomplish.

"Ah! Noble One, you came!"

The aged biker jumped a little when the voice rang out directly behind him. He whipped his head around to find that young monk from last night. The monk gave another deep bow once Kaneda made eye contact with him.

"Thank you very much for coming!" the monk said excitedly. "You will not believe how honored we are by your presence and-!"

Kaneda noticed the people in line were giving them odd looks and quickly shushed him. "Alright, you're welcome!" he whispered loudly. "But keep it down, wilya? People are startin' to stare!"

"Oh! Forgive my poor manners, oh Noble One," the monk said, bowing again. "I guess in my excitement, I began to lose myself. Anyway, the correct building would be the lecture hall, which is right over there." He pointed to a long building all the way across the cavern. "Follow me."

"Uh...can I ask you a question real quick?" Kaneda asked.

"Yes, what is it?" the monk replied cheerfully.

Kaneda pointed inside the main hall. "Why...are they dumping red paint on that chair?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"Oh...," the monk paused for a moment, looking like he was trying to figure out how to explain it. "That...that is not paint. It is blood."

The mechanic cringed. "Okay then," he said, trying to keep calm, "Why are they dumping _blood_ on that chair?"

"That throne is the very spot on which Great Akira reappeared to slay the Devourer," the monk explained as Kaneda tried not to roll his eyes at that nickname. "It is said that when one spills their own blood upon that throne, the Great One will appear to that person and answer a single question. That question may be anything, but only one can be answered per offering. As you can see, the more blood is offered, the higher the chance of the Great One appearing."

"Uh...okay," Kaneda replied warily. "They are usin' their own blood...right?"

The monk nodded. "Oh, yes. The one making the offering must use his or her own blood. If someone else's blood is used instead, there will be great consequences."

"...Consequences?"

"It depends on how the offering one obtained the blood. If the person injured someone else, he or she will be injured in the exact same manner. If the person stole the blood from a hospital or blood bank, he or she will suddenly lose the same amount of his or her own blood. If the person killed someone else-"

"They die?"

"Correct!"

Kaneda was trying not to shudder. He was starting to feel very creeped out by this place. Sure, he had seen plenty of blood and gore before, but people willingly dumping liters of their own blood onto a chair in hopes that some freaky kid will show up?

"Uh...yeah. Maybe we should move along now...," he said, quickly stepping away from the entrance.

"Very well then," the monk replied, smiling. "Follow me."

As the two of them walked across the wide cavern to the lecture hall, more questions started popping up in Kaneda's head. He was a bit afraid to ask them; what if they also had creepy answers? Unfortunately his imagination was starting to run wild, trying to come up with its own frightening explanations. Maybe he should just ask before he drove himself nuts.

"So, uh...what's with all the black?" he ventured.

The monk's eyes lit up a bit at the question. Apparently, he liked talking about these kinds of things. "The Great One's aura is black," he explained. "Mostly black, to be precise - there is a small amount of white in it. That is why we made sure the buildings also have a touch of white on them. You may have seen the aura before - it is that famous black dome."

Well, that wasn't so bad. "How come you guys are underground?"

"The Great One's remains were kept frozen inside a very large underground container," the monk answered. "But there is another reason, though it is a bit more complicated. See, after the first incident occurred, the Great One left behind a dead body. Though he was not truly dead, those working on the project thought he was. Of course, it can be said that the Great One was not truly alive either without a body. Therefore, we had fashioned this temple much like a grave - that way, those who enter can experience the state of being neither dead nor alive. It's also the reason our gates are made out of decaying wood."

That didn't sound too bad either. A little strange, but not bad. Kind of sounded like one of those deep thoughts one would have while high on something. Hey, there was a thought: maybe he should have come here stoned! Maybe the place would look a lot less spooky and make a lot more sense.

Along the way, they passed a small fountain. The circular onyx pool was in the shape of a snake biting its tail. Surrounding it were four more of those intimidating bird statues facing in what he could only guess were the four cardinal directions.

"Okay, now what's those bird things supposed to be?" Kaneda asked, pointing to the fountain.

"Ah, those," the monk replied, glancing at the statues. "Those are representations of the Shadowalkers."

"...Shadowalkers?" The biker raised an eyebrow. They sounded like something out of a video game.

"Yes," the monk nodded. "They are small segments of the Great One himself. They serve as his eyes and ears on this plane. At night, they are said to emerge from the craters and roam the city, watching over us. They are invisible to everyone except those who have the Gift. Those with the Power say that even though they can take the form of anything, they mostly appear as birds and serpents."

Okay, now that? That was a weird answer. And things were just about to get weirder when a random follower walked up to one of the statues. The man casually took a large knife out of his pocket and, just as casually, cut one of his palms with it. He then placed his bleeding hand upon the bird statue's head. It took all of Kaneda's strength not to yell "What the HELL?" in front of everybody.

He didn't actually want to know what that was all about. Unfortunately, the monk it to him explained anyway. "That is known as 'feeding' the Shadowalkers. If one offers his or her own blood to one of them, the Gift may eventually awaken inside him or her. Unlike the other bloodletting ceremony, the blood must be fresh for this one."

"In other words...you bleed on a bird, you turn psychic?"

"You _may_ receive the Gift. It is not certain. But it is said that when the Gift is about to awaken within you, the blood spilt will begin to glow."

"Riiight..."

"Oh, but there is more. If the blood turns black, it means that you have similar powers to the Great One himself! But, if the blood suddenly catches fire, it means you are cursed with powers much like the Devourer's."

"Okay, yeah...but does it _have to_ be blood?" Kaneda tried his best not to sound too disgusted or weirded out.

"Oh, yes. Blood symbolizes the person's life," the monk replied, a bit too deep into his own lecture to notice his guest's discomfort. "To sacrifice one's own blood shows that the person is willing to give up their own life for a higher cause. That is also why the blood offered must come from yourself and not be borrowed from someone else."

"Uh, sure..." The mechanic figured he just better stop asking questions now.

Moments later, they reached the lecture hall. Thankfully, nothing else strange happened on their way there. The monk offered Kaneda a seat on a small stage near a podium. He then hurried off to chat with the other monks. Needless to say, the other monks were equally excited at his appearance. They kept looking over in his direction to make sure he was actually the right guy.

The aged biker sat down and looked the place over. It was a typical lecture hall. Well, almost. There were generally a lot of seats - all of them painted black. Like the rest of the temple grounds, the place had deliberately poor lighting. Along the opposite wall was a large mural that spanned the room. It was basically a white circle on a black background that had weird, crystalline branches sticking out of it in all directions. He had no idea what that was supposed to be and had a good feeling he shouldn't ask.

There were already a few people sitting around inside the hall. With the dim lighting and the dark colored chairs, he wondered how these people were actually able to locate a seat. Some of them looked like they were waiting for somebody, or waiting to see if anything was going to happen. Some looked like they were just in there because they couldn't find anyplace else to sit. One guy had fallen asleep. Well, at least they weren't staring at him or causing a scene.

Hold that thought. Standing against that mural were three guys - one old man wearing a dark robe and two muscleheads. They all seemed to be scowling at him. Yeah, _this_ was going to be fun!

Kaneda tried to ignore them and think about more important things - like what he was going to say. Obviously, he was still going to disprove these silly rumors. After all, that's what he braved coming here for. Maybe they wouldn't be calling "Noble One" after this, but oh well. Other than that, perhaps he should just give them all a short recap of what he saw happened? That should be enough.

But he knew one thing for sure: he wasn't going to mention Kei. He already had people hunting him down over a photo; he wasn't about to let the same happen to her. Just for good measure, he wasn't going to mention Kai either. Sure, the guy didn't see as much. The closest he got to the action was the unfortunate incident in the bar. But that might be enough for some people, and Kai didn't deserve the harassment. Besides, Kaneda was already worried about creeps hanging around the garage after this - better not give them another reason.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the monks run outside. Probably going to announce to everyone who was here. Sure enough, people came pouring in the doorways moments later. They were all staring at him in that same excited manner and practically tripping over each other trying to get a seat. The place became so packed, people had to stand around in the aisles and cram themselves in the doorways. Wow, he was really popular! He felt a bit embarrassed.

Kaneda got up out of his chair, figuring it was almost show time. One of the monks walked up to the podium to get things started. It was a different monk than the one he had been talking to. This guy was older and spoke in a much more dramatic tone. Apparently, he was used to whipping up the crowd.

"Dearest members of our congregation," the monk began, "we have been gathered here today for a very special occasion. Not only is today the anniversary of the Second Fall, it is the _thirty-first_ anniversary. Because of this, many people have fled the city this week, fearing a third one. We cannot blame them for being so worried." He held out a hand. "But thankfully, all of you were brave enough to remain. On behalf of all of us at the temple, I would like to take a moment to thank you for staying and coming to visit us."

The audience gave themselves a round of applause.

"But today is special for a third reason," the monk continued. "Today we have a very special guest with us. I am sure some of you have heard of the Noble One who bravely challenged the Devourer and lived?"

The audience murmured an agreement. Kaneda found himself getting really annoyed at that stupid code name.

"That same Noble One is actually here with us today to share with us his experiences!" the monk said gesturing to the aged biker. "I am sure you are all excited to hear him. So without further ado, here he is! The Noble One...Kaneda, Shotaro!"

The monk stepped away from the podium, letting the "Noble One" step up. The audience not only applauded him, they gave him a _standing ovation_. And he hadn't even said anything yet! As he walked up to the microphone, he was also greeted by a flurry of flashing lights courtesy of cameras.

Kaneda glanced over the crowd. He couldn't believe he was doing this. Was he really going to talk about an extremely difficult subject with a crowd of friendly-looking but potentially dangerous strangers? Was he really about to dash their hopes and/or royally anger them by telling them a few things they probably didn't want to hear? Maybe he really _was_ insane - or going through a mid-life crisis at the least. But here he was; he couldn't turn back now.

"Uh...hi," he said into the microphone.

The audience responded by just staring back at him intensely. Some took more pictures of him.

"So uh, yeah," Kaneda continued. "Name's Kaneda. And I'm the guy with the bike from that picture. Or the 'Noble One,' as you guys keep callin' me. The name sounds kinda silly to me - I'm not really that 'noble.' But whatever.

"Anyway, I was asked to come here to tell you all about what I saw. Now this ain't a real easy subject for me to talk about. In fact, I been tryin' _not_ to talk about it for the longest time. So consider yourselves lucky - _real_ lucky!

"I kinda thought it was time to stop ignorin' it. Not like it was makin' anything go away. But what I mostly came here to do was put an end to them stupid rumors floatin' around! This means you're gonna hear some things you're probably not gonna like. So don't say I didn't warn you, got it?"

He actually found himself pointing at the audience, as if he was scolding them. In reality, he _was_ kind of scolding them. They didn't seem to be reacting though; they just kept on watching him. Well, he figured they'd certainly react to _this_...

"First off, this 'Devourer' guy?" he went on. "He has a name. And it's Tetsuo - Shima, Tetsuo! And he used to be a good friend of mine!"

There, he said it. What he expected next was chaos. He expected people rioting, people jumping out of their seats to throttle him, or at least a few angry jeers and at least one person fainting. But, chaos was hardly what happened. Instead, there was a just loud murmur amongst the crowd. Nobody got up from their seats, nobody shouted anything at him. There wasn't anybody that even looked lightheaded, let alone about to faint. The majority of them did look shocked, but it wasn't an angry or a horrified shock. They looked more interested than anything. Some of them were even writing stuff down as if they were taking notes.

At this point, Kaneda was probably more shocked than they were. He took a moment to get over that shock before continuing. "Now, that doesn't mean I'm gonna defend anything he did here," he told them. "He did some damn horrible things. I mean, he even turned on me! But at one time...he was a regular guy just like me and you." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Poor guy never saw it comin'. Hell, he probably didn't think any of this psychic stuff was real before all this..."

The topic was getting increasingly difficult to talk about. He figured he best change subjects.

"Anyway, guess I'd better get to tellin' you all what happened. At least, best I can anyway. Everything was really confusing, and well...I'm gettin' old. My memory probably ain't what it used to be."

There was a small laugh out of the crowd.

"Well, it all began late at night. Me and the guys were out ridin' around. Got in a fight with a rival biker gang. Y'know, the usual.

"Then Tetsuo gets in an accident. We all run over to him to see if he's okay. And that's when I saw what he ran into. It was the damn weirdest thing I ever saw!" He almost shuddered recalling what the badly mutated test subject looked like. "It was this kid, but...but he wasn't a kid! His skin was all wrinkled, and...was like, colored a grayish-blue, or something! I'd find out later he was actually one of Akira's old friends. Poor kid...

"Anyway, right after that, a bunch of G-Men show up. They actually came for the kid, but they decided to make off with Tetsuo, too. The rest of us just got tossed in the pen for the rest of the night. I didn't see Tetsuo 'till much later - when I caught him in the school parking lot, stealin' my bike!"

This got a snicker from the audience, though Kaneda didn't find it all that funny. However, he shrugged it off and continued on.

"So, me and a few friends chase after him. It was a good thing too, 'cause some of them rival gang members we ran into last night were beatin' up on him pretty badly. We fought them off, and...that's when I found out Tetsuo was really pissed off about _something._ Kept yellin' about how he wanted to show us all. And then he had this weird seizure right there in the street! That's when the G-Men showed up again and dragged him away for the second time.

"Well at time, I started gettin' real sick of these government guys runnin' off with my best friend and doin' who-knows-what to him. So, I got together with...some of these Resistance guys I kinda knew. We managed to sneak into the place where they were keepin' him. 'Course by the time I found him...the bastard decided to turn on me! Yeah, you try to save a guy and that's the thanks you get. Go figure, huh?"

The audience snickered again. Even Kaneda grinned a little this time.

"Well anyway, right after that Tetsuo flies off, leaving me to get tossed in the slammer...again. Thankfully, someone was dumb enough to leave the door unlocked. I just walked right outta there.

"So when I get outta the joint, I find out Tetsuo's torn up half the city...and even killed one of my friends!" He pounded on the podium, his outrage growing. "Well at that point, I had had it with him. And since I was his former best friend - as well as the owner of the bike he wanted so badly - I figured I was the one who had to end it!"

The audience suddenly applauded him. Kaneda grinned wider this time and even gave them a short bow. He felt like he shouldn't be enjoying this, but he was.

"...Thanks, thanks. Anyway, I managed to snag me one of those government issue laser rifles in all the confusion. Figured it might be the best weapon to use against him. I followed him all the way to the stadium. Pretty easy to find him; just follow the trail of destruction, right? Anyway, when I get there, he had somehow dug up this...huge machine right outta ground!

"So I go up there to confront him. He tries bein' all friendly to me at first, but it doesn't take him long to turn on me again. Then we get in a big fight. I come thiiiis close-" He demonstrates with his thumb and forefinger. "-to getting him right in the chest with that laser. But then the battery died on me. Figures."

A chuckle from the audience.

"Well the fight had to be cut short anyway, thanks to an armed sattelite shootin' at us. A couple friends helped me get outta there before I got fried." He made absolutely sure he didn't say who those two friends were.

"So I recharge the laser's battery and go back to the stadium later that night to try again. When I get there, I find Tetsuo attackin' the Colonel by doin' this...freaky extending trick with his arm!"

Kaneda attempted to demonstrate by streching out his right arm. He noticed several audience members who were wearing those beads pointed to them or played with them. Did those beads have something to do with Tetsuo's arm trick? He didn't want to ask.

"I shoot at him to get his attention. Then we continue our fight. Right in the middle of it, Akira's friends suddenly show up in the stadium. They just kinda...appeared there. I dunno how they did it. Must be a psychic thing. But I gotta hand it to the kids - they distracted my ol' buddy long enough for me to get him right in the arm!"

He pumped his fist, quite satisfied. So did the audience, as many of them cheered and clapped. He hated to admit this, but this was kind of fun!

"But I didn't get to celebrate, 'cause then _something_ happened..."

The audience murmured, but Kaneda could hear a lot of people saying "uh-oh" to themselves. Apparently, they knew what was coming next.

"Man, I'll never forget it as long as I live. After I shot him, Tetsuo's arm just...exploded! And then the rest of him did, too! And then he turned into a...uh...well, you've seen the photos, right?

"Now here's another thing you might not wanna hear: he didn't do it on purpose. The guy looked really scared. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know he could do that. I think his power got away from him, or something. And he was beggin' _me_ to help him! Not that...I could actually do anything..."

So far, so good. Nobody seemed surprised or fazed that Tetsuo didn't just mutate himself on purpose. Some of them almost seemed to be expecting it. As he paused to watch the audience's reaction, he beame lost in thought for a second. This trip down memory lane had brought him to the hard part. Those questions he had about that fateful night revived and were nagging him again.

"...Sometimes, I almost wonder if that was my fault. I mean, shootin' him made him blow up, didn't it?"

He never meant to say that out loud - it just a slip of the tongue. He wanted to slap himself now. He meant to tell them off, sure, but not incriminate himself.

Kaneda tensed. He wasn't quite sure how the audience was going to react to that. They all seemed pretty accepting of everything he said up until now, but he had just practically admitted to turning Tetsuo into a monster himself. Were they going to let him have it now or...?

Thankfully, they did nothing. Nobody even looked angry. Instead, they were shaking their heads. They were..._reassuring_ him. He heard one person in the back shout, "It would've happened anyway!" Taking that as a good sign, Kaneda pushed aside those nagging questions and continued on.

"Eh, whatever," he shrugged. "So anyway, Tetsuo turned into that...uh, blob monster...thing. And he started eatin' up everything around him. Not that he wanted to - he didn't have a choice! He accidentally ate his own girlfriend. Poor girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He felt pretty sad remembering what happened to Kaori. While he didn't know her all that well, she always seemed like such a sweet girl. He didn't think she deserved such a gruesome end. He couldn't imagine how bad Tetsuo must have felt about it. Still, he continued on with the story.

"I almost got eaten not once, but twice! He came close to eatin' the Colonel and them poor kids, too!

"But that's when Akira showed up to 'save the day,' so to speak. Now, I don't think he just appeared like everyone says he did. I think his buddies had something to do with it. I just remember when they showed up, they sat themselves down in front of them canisters and didn't budge."

He hardly felt tense at all as he revealed the final bombshell. After all, everybody was doing such an amazing job of behaving themselves. And they still were - they simply talked amongst themselves or wrote stuff down like they did before.

"I got caught in the explosion myself." Immediately, the audience snapped to attention. "I thought I was just gonna get burnt to a crisp just like any other explosion. But that's not what happened. Instead, I was just...flyin' around, or something. It was really weird."

Kaneda figured he'd leave out the flashbacks. Nobody needed to know about those. Besides, the crowd seemed content just knowing he had seen Akira's blast from the inside.

"But it didn't last long. Before I knew it, I was on the ground again. Guess where ever they were goin', they didn't want me taggin' along.

"That's the last I saw of 'em. If you're wonderin' if I had any weird 'experiences' after that - like hearin' messages or seein' things - I didn't. A few bad dreams probably don't count, right?

"Anyway, uh...that's my story. Yeah, I know it ain't as glamorous as a lot of you were probably expectin', but...eh, that's life for ya. What can I say?"

Just like in the beginning, the enthusiastic audience gave him a standing ovation complete with loud cheers. He smiled, actually feeling a little touched. Caught up in the moment, he decided to add one more thing.

"Y'know, you guys were a lot easier to talk to than I thought. I came here thinkin' you were gonna try to kick my ass for somma the stuff I was gonna say. Why don't you give _yourselves_ a hand?"

The audience went wild at his compliment, cheering louder and jumping around this time. Some people over in the corner looked like they were attempting to crowd surf.

Kaneda grinned to himself. _Oh yeah, workin' the crowd!_ he thought.

As he stepped away from the podium, the monks approached him. As usual, they gave him a deep bow. They looked almost excited as the crowd did. The young one he had been talking to earlier stepped forward to speak.

"Wonderful speech, oh Noble One!" He paused a moment. "Uh...if I may call you that..."

"Nah, it's okay, kid," the biker replied, still grinning. Since he was in such a good mood at the moment, the nickname hardly bothered him. "Call me whatever ya want."

"Oh, alright then," the monk replied. He looked over at the ecstatic audience. "Do you have time for any questions?"

Kaneda looked at his watch. It was past four o' clock already. And seeing how riled this crowd was, he'd probably be there for days. Besides, he figured he said enough already.

"Nah, it's gettin' late," he answered.

"That's too bad," the monk said. "But thank you once again for coming here! Your speech was very enlightening!"

"Ah, it was nothin'," Kaneda replied. He idly wondered if he should be the one thanking _them_. It actually felt good to finally talk about the subject. Sure it didn't change anything, but he felt a whole lot better about the whole ordeal. He wondered why that was. Oh, who cares? What mattered now is he was in a much better mood.

The monk who had introduced him earlier stepped back up to the podium. The audience quickly quieted down.

"Dearest members of our congregation," he said, "unfortunately, the Noble One does not have time for questions. But let us give him another round of applause for taking the time to speak with us!"

The crowd looked a bit disappointed at first, but they quickly got over it. In fact, they went wild again. Kaneda gave them a quick bow and waved before stepping off the stage.

The exits were still jammed with the people who hadn't been able to get a seat. Fortunately, they quickly parted to give Kaneda room to leave. They also showered him with compliments as he walked by - which he definitely enjoyed. Hey, as long as they weren't trying to express their gratitude by tearing his clothes off as he passed them!

Kaneda then exited the underground temple and headed back to the bus station. Well, coming here didn't seem to be a "huge mistake" after all. Everybody there really was "harmless." Okay, they were a bit creepy with all that bloodletting and dark stuff, but still harmless. He was also in a much better mood than when he came here.

But despite his good mood, that sense of foreboding suddenly came creeping back. He had no idea why. After all, the hardest part was over right?

He tried his best to shake it off as the next bus pulled up, but for some reason it refused to go away.

* * *

_Wonder what I should do for dinner?_

It was later that evening. The sun hung low in the sky. Kaneda was now walking down the much quieter sidewalks, heading back to the garage. His apartment was actually located on the second floor of his auto repair shop. Sure it wasn't much, but it sure made the commute to work very short.

He headed down the dark alley next to his garage, up to the metal staircase that lead to his apartment's entrance. He dug through his pockets for his keys. Just has he was about to put his foot on the first stair step, he suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice behind him.

"So the Devourer has a name. That was a most impressive speech you gave back there..."

Kaneda whipped his head around. Behind him were those three creeps from the temple that had been giving him the evil eye. For some strange reason, they had followed him home. He had a feeling their reasons were none too good.

"Can I help you guys with something?" he asked, giving them a suspicious glare.

"Actually, you've already helped us out once today," the old man said cryptically. "But there's something else you could do for us. There's a certain 'errand' we need done, and you would be best for the job."

"Uh huh," the biker replied warily. "Are you guys with the temple?"

"No, we're not. They tend to question things a little bit too much for us. We're a sect all to our own."

"Riiight. And what's this 'errand' you want me to do?"

"Just come with us. We'll talk on the way."

"There ain't nothin' you can tell me while walkin' that you can't just tell me right here." Kaneda's suspicion about these strangers had practically been confirmed. He had lived long enough to know that any "let's take a walk" offers from eerie strangers were code for something horrible. These freaks were definitely up to something, but what was it?

The old man sighed. "I can see you don't trust us," he said. "Very well then. We were prepared for resistance."

It was then that his two lackeys finally made a move. They stepped in front of the old man, still glowering at Kaneda. One of them slipped on a pair of brass knuckles while the other brandished a lead pipe. They didn't seem to be carrying any guns or knives. Apparently, they wanted him alive and didn't want to take any chances.

"Alright then, Mr. Kaneda," the old one growled. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way..."

Kaneda just smirked at them. "Y'know what your problem is?" he said. "You think that just 'cause I'm an old man, it's easy to kick my a-"

The middle-aged mechanic was suddenly cut off by the goon with the brass knuckles lunging at him. The bodyguard threw a punch, but Kaneda easily dodged it. The biker then stunned the guy with a punch to the gut before bringing him down with a subsequent kick to the groin.

"Still got it!" Kaneda gloated.

The other henchman looked absolutely stunned. He also looked quite hesitant to challenge the former gang leader. He looked to his boss for help, only to be met with a stony glare. The bodyguard reluctantly charged Kaneda, swinging his lead pipe wildly. Unfortunately for him, his swings were easy to dodge.

Kaneda continued to dodge the pipe, leading the henchman over to a rusted-out old fire escape attached to the building next door. He led the bodyguard right up the steps, which creaked under their weight. As Kaneda stepped on the first landing, the fire escape suddenly groaned and shifted, throwing the goon off balance. The biker then firmly gripped the rusty railing on both sides and kicked the guy square in the chest. The henchman fell backwards and right down the stairs.

"You guys should watch more kung-fu movies," Kaneda sarcastically scolded the two injured lackeys. "You _never_ take on the old guy!" He then turned to their boss in the alley below. "And _you_ should learn to hire guys that can actually fight their way out of a paper bag!" He then addressed the group in general with a much more serious tone. "Now how about all of ya get your asses outta here before I call the cops?"

It was then that they all heard a terrific groaning of metal right above them. Apparently the skirmish, although small, had been just too much for the old fire escape. It began to shift again, forcing Kaneda to grab the railings for support.

"Ohhhh shit...," he cursed.

But before he could even make a move to get off the thing, there was another loud groaning noise. The first landing suddenly snapped off its brittle, rusty hinges and collapsed into the street. Kaneda was thrown backwards and over the railing. He landed onto a nearby closed dumpster. Unfortunately, the back of his head hit the metal doors, and he was instantly knocked unconscious.

For a moment, all the mysterious old man and his two cronies could do was just stare at the limp body incredulously. Finally, the old man gathered his bearings and broke the stunned silence.

"That was easier than I thought!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akira, and stuff. The actual guy that does is Katsuhiro Otomo. I just write about it in my spare time.

**Ritual  
Chapter 3**

_"This is yours, isn't it?"_

__

Two small boys were standing by a water fountain. The one speaking held out a toy robot to the other. The other child took back the previously stolen toy in stunned silence, with a frightened look in his eye.

"They always do that to newcomers. You're new, right?"

A nod.

"I got that too. Don't worry, they're just big bullies."

As the toy retriever went to get a drink from the fountain, the frightened boy finally mustered up enough courage to speak.

_"I'm-"_

The flashback ended abruptly. Red circles danced in front of Kaneda's eyes as he slowly regained consciousness. He hadn't had a dream like that in decades; he wondered why he would be suddenly having one now.

He looked around. He couldn't recognize his surroundings. He was somewhere dark; the only light came from a small window high above him. He was lying on his side on what felt like a wooden floor. His arms were behind his back. His head and shoulders hurt.

"...Where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself.

Kaneda tried to recall what had happened. He remembered the fight with those creeps in the alley outside his garage. But he easily fought them off, didn't he? He tried to remember how he fought them. He took the first guy out by punching him in the stomach and then kicking him in the nads. The other guy he shoved down the stairs of a fire escape. Wait, that's right! The fire escape! It collapsed on him! Somehow, the fall must have knocked him out. After that, those goons must have taken him back to their headquarters.

But where was this place? And how long had it been? A quick glance up at the window revealed a dark sky with lots of stars. He must have been out for a few hours; it was sunset when he was returning home, but now it was night. Even though he was no detective, Kaneda knew that a very starry sky meant he wasn't in Neo Tokyo anymore. They must have taken him out into the sticks, where there were no city lights.

He tried to stand up. Unfortunately, his arms wouldn't budge. His wrists were tightly bound together by something coarse, like rope. Oh great, they had tied him up. Fortunately, his legs were still free.

But what did they want with him? Unless they were motorcycle fanatics, he really didn't have anything of value. It's not like he was running a chopshop.

Wait. What if they were enemies of Kei's? She was heavy into politics, and he knew very well that politicians liked to play dirty. Maybe they had somehow found out that he was engaged to her, and they were holding him for ransom.

Or maybe...

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door open behind him. He then found himself suddenly doused in water.

"C'mon, get up!" a nasally voice behind him commanded.

Kaneda brought himself up to a sitting position and turned around to face whoever was there. In the doorway was a guy that looked slightly younger than him, wearing the same dark robes as that old man in the alley. He was flanked by two muscle-bound lackeys, though they weren't the same two guys he had fought earlier.

"I was already awake, ya sonovabitch!" the biker spat at the mysterious robed person.

"Mouthy little bastard, aren't ya?" the robed man commented, sneering. He then turned to his henchmen. "Alright boys, grab him. But be careful, he's a tough old goat."

"Okay, boss," said one of the goons as he entered the cell.

Kaneda waited for the guy to get close enough before making a sweeping kick at his ankle. It connected, knocking the bodyguard off balance and causing him to fall to the ground. Kaneda then scrambled to his feet, which was a bit more difficult without the use of his arms.

"I said _be careful_, you idiot!" the robed ringleader barked at his fallen grunt.

Meanwhile, the other henchman entered the cell and cautiously approached Kaneda. The aged biker backed away from the second goon, watching him like a hawk. Suddenly, the grunt made a move as if he was about to lunge forward. Unfortunately, Kaneda fell for it and kicked at him. The guard grabbed him by his outstretched leg, leaving him to wobble on one foot. And since Kaneda was no karate master, trying to kick the guy with his free leg would only result in making himself fall flat on his back. He was trapped.

The other goon picked himself up off the floor and grabbed the biker squarely around the shoulders. "You just better be glad the boss wants you in one piece!" he growled.

"Alright buddy, you're comin' with us," the weasely robed guy said to Kaneda. "And don't try anything funny, if ya know what's good for ya!" He reached into his robe and pulled out a taser. He pointed it at the biker to drive the point home.

"What the hell do you bastards want with me, anyway?" Kaneda demanded.

"That's for us to know and for you to find out," the robed guy sneered. He turned back to his two guards. "Bring him!"

Kaneda was then shoved out of his cell and marched down the hallway. The robed man lead the way, while the two guards flanked the biker. They kept a close eye on his feet just in case he tried to turn around and kick them again.

The mechanic took a look around while on his involuntary stroll. The lighting was poor, but unlike the temple, it didn't look like it was intentional. The few light bulbs that weren't blown out kept flickering, meaning it was actually a problem with the electricity itself. The floorboards creaked under their feet, and the walls were cracked and stained. It looked like they were in a dilapidated building. But it made sense; creepy secret societies and/or crime organizations tended to roost in old, abandoned places like this.

Waiting for them at the end of the hallway was an old man, though he was different than the one Kaneda had met earlier. This guy was even older; probably old enough to be Kaneda's father. He was also wearing an orange robe rather than the dark ones the others had on. He was very tall and thin. His fingernails were unusually long and filed to sharp points, like talons. He also had a suspicious smile on his face.

"Ah, Mr. Kaneda," he said as the group approached. "How good of you to come." He raised an eyebrow. "Or should I say, 'Noble One'?"

"Have we met?" Kaneda grunted at him.

The very old man smiled. "I'm afraid we have not. But I know all about your exploits, Mr. Kaneda."

"Riiight," the biker replied. "You the one the one runnin' this joint, or what?"

"Why yes, I would be the one in charge here," the orange robed one answered.

"Good! Then you're the guy I need to talk to!" Kaneda barked. "Who the hell are you people, and what do you want with me?"

"'Ey! Watch your tongue around the boss, douchebag!" the younger robed man ordered, brandishing his taser.

"No, no, it's quite alright," the old ringleader said. "He's one of our Guests of Honor! The least we could do for him is answer his questions."

"Then how 'bout answerin' my first one?" Kaneda snapped.

The leader chuckled. "Such brazenness! But if you must know, we are much like those you met at the temple earlier today - humble servants of the Great Akira. However, we are a much older sect. One of the first, you might say. Also our belief systems are...quite different."

_I'll say. You psychos prefer kidnappin' people!_ Kaneda thought. He had half a mind to say it to the old guy's face too, but he didn't want to get zapped by that weasel with the taser.

"As for what we summoned you here for," the old man continued, "your presence is needed for our Grand Ceremony."

The biker gave him a withering look. "What kinda ceremony...?" He had a feeling he was not going to like the answer.

A dark, foreboding smile appeared on the leader's face. "Sixty-two years ago," he began, "was the First Fall. Though the world was nearly destroyed in the cataclysmic war that followed, there was a great good that came out of it: those behind the project realized just how great the power was that sealed away within the human mind. This was an incentive for them to continue their quest to unlock its secrets.

"Thirty-one years ago was the Second Fall. I'm sure I needn't go into detail, since you were already there. Fortunately, there was no war afterward this time. And most importantly, everyone in the country learned of both Akira and the Power."

"Yeah? _And_...?" Kaneda snarled impatiently. He wasn't here for a history lesson.

The leader's smile suddenly became a lot darker and creepier. "...Think of what a third would bring..."

"...Third?" It took awhile to sink in. When it did, the biker suddenly bust out laughing. "Oh, I get it! Lemme guess...you guys want Akira to blow up the city a _third_ time?"

"In a manner on speaking, yes," the leader replied, still smiling.

"You're serious about this, ain't ya?" Kaneda said sardonically. "In that case, how the hell do you plan on doin' it? You gonna do some little magic trick to make Akira appear in front of you? Y'know, I may not know the guy personally, but I kinda doubt he just shows up for any random person that wants him to. And even if he did, I think it's gonna take a lot more than just askin' nicely to get him to blow the shit out of Neo Tokyo again."

"Summon Akira?" the leader chuckled. ""Summon Akira?" the leader chuckled. "That would be much easier for us, but there's no way to summon Akira directly, I'm afraid. Even the bloodletting ritual with the throne from the Olympic stadium has no guarantee that he will actually appear."

The biker paused for a second to think. "His friends, then! You gonna summon them wrinkled kids, then force _them_ to summon Akira? Is that it?"

"Ah, the Wizened Ones. Akira's old companions and fellow test subjects," the old man responded. "I'm surprised you know about them. But no, there's no way to summon them either."

Kaneda was out of ideas at this point. Actually he had one left, but he didn't think it made any sense. "Okay, I'll bite," he said. "What are you creeps up to?"

"Oh, Mr. Kaneda. Surely you haven't forgotten your oldest friend by now?" the cult leader replied, that twisted grin returning to his face.

The aged biker's sarcastic grin disappeared. The color drained from his wrinkled face. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. "Te...Tetsuo?"

"Correct!" the old man said.

"But...but why?" Kaneda demanded. "What the hell's the point? And how do you know he ain't dead to begin with?"

"Oh, he's very much alive, Mr. Kaneda," the leader replied. "Some say he's not only alive...he's still growing! If that's true, can you imagine how utterly _enormous_ he must be by now? After thirty-one years of endless growth?" A pause. "Maybe big enough to swallow up the entire country..."

Kaneda cringed. Watching Tetsuo mutate was one of the most horrible things he ever saw in his life; he didn't care to be reminded of it. "Yeah? And where's your proof?" he barked angrily.

The old cult leader rubbed his chin as if in thought. "Hmm...tell me, do you remember an incident a few years ago on a college campus? One where a student was mysteriously mauled to death while playing a game?"

The mechanic just stared at him blankly. "Ain't there a lotta incidents like that?" he asked. "I mean, college students get drunk and do stupid stuff all the time."

"Ah, but this one was very specific," the leader continued. "The student was playing a popular game called 'Feed the Devourer.' I'm sure it's pretty easy to guess what the object of this game is. The poor child had been torn limb from limb. The killer was never found. There were no murder weapons found on campus, either."

"So?" Kaneda replied. "That doesn't mean Tetsuo did it. It just means there's a really smart killer runnin' around."

"Ah, but the student had been torn apart as if by a wild animal," the leader corrected. "However, he was indoors where wild animals could not get to him."

"Still doesn't mean nuthin'!" the biker barked. "Somebody coulda just brought one inside! I've seen a lotta cop shows, I know people do crazy shit when they want someone dead!"

The old man let out a small sigh. He just shook his head and smiled sadly at Kaneda. "I can see I won't be able to convince you otherwise," he said. "But it matters not. What matters is that there is a way to summon the Devourer directly. And once he is unleashed onto our plane, Akira will have no choice but to return again."

"You mean to tell me you're gonna use some urban myth to try and summon Tetsuo?" Kaneda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed," was the answer.

The biker burst out laughing again. "Yeah, right! You people are insane, y'know that?" he mocked, not caring about the two muscleheads behind him or the taser-happy lackey next to him. "No, no, you're _more_ than just 'insane.' You're freakin' bugfuck, batshit crazy! What's next? If this doesn't work, you're gonna try summoning him with a Ouija board or something?"

The cold, twisted smile returned to his face. He stepped forward. "It doesn't matter what you think about us, Mr. Kaneda. _You_ will help us summon him," he said in a voice that could freeze a blast furnace.

"Yeah? You and what army?" the mechanic roared.

The cult leader walked over to him and stood next to him. The goons tensed themselves just in case Kaneda tried to attack the ringleader while he was standing so close.

"This army," the leader whispered in his ear.

The next thing the aged biker knew, something was stabbing him right in the arm. He shouted and jumped back. The old man was now grinning from ear to ear. Kaneda also noticed the crazy old goat had a needle in his hand. And that he was growing increasingly tired. Obviously, he had just been drugged.

He fell to his knees, suddenly exhausted. His arms and legs had gone numb. The rest of his body was rapidly following suit. He tried his best to fight it; he figured that these creeps were going to kill him as soon as he fell asleep. Unfortunately, the sedative was way too powerful. He fell over on his side as the room faded to black.

* * *

Kaneda was roused out of a deep sleep by someone poking him. Poking him with something cold and sharp. It almost felt like he was being jabbed with scissors or pins. Thankfully, he had no flashbacks while he had been unconscious this time.

He was now lying on something rough and uneven, like gravel. He could smell food cooking and felt a chill in the air. His arms were still bound behind him. Now his ankles felt the same way, too. Great. Just great.

He was somewhere dark again. Judging by the sound of crickets chirping, he was outside. He lifted his head a little just to be sure. Sure enough, he saw a sky full of stars and a full moon. Definitely outside.

But the question remained, where was he? Seeing as how the only light out here was moonlight, he was still far away from the city. But where exactly?

Wait, it was _cold_ out here. There was only one place he knew that was unexplainably cold, even in the summer - the craters. He wasn't quite sure which one it was, but if he had to guess, it was probably the second one. It seemed more appropriate.

Meters away, he could see his captors milling around with flashlights and small lanterns. There didn't seem to be a lot of them, thank goodness. He wondered how the hell they could even see whatever it was they were doing with it so dark. He was about to dismiss it as just them being crazy, but then he thought of something - if they used a lot of bright lights out here, the cops might see it and come snooping around. Best to keep things dark and not draw attention to themselves.

In the dim moonlight, he could see them placing things on a long table. Judging by the delicious smells in the air, he could only guess that they were placing food on it. It must be some sort of an offering. There was something behind the table too, but he couldn't see what it was. It was something tall.

Suddenly, he heard somebody nearby yawn. It sounded like it came from above him. He looked up to see the two goons that he met at the hideout. Apparently, they had been assigned to stand guard over him. One of them looked kind of bored. The other looked really nervous.

Out of the blue, the bored one glanced down. Kaneda recognized him as the guy he knocked down in the cell.

"Oh, you're awake," the bored guard said. "Well, don't even bother tryin' anything stupid. We tied your legs, too."

With that, the bored goon went back to staring into space. Meanwhile, his partner was intensely watching his superiors set that table, looking more and more worried. Kaneda figured he might be able to use that to his advantage.

"_Psst!_ Hey! You!" he whispered to the nervous one.

He tapped the guard on the ankle with his bound feet to get his attention.

Thankfully, the anxious henchman looked down at him. "What?" he asked.

"I can't help but notice you're lookin' a bit nervous there, buddy," the biker replied. "If I'da known better, I'd say you don't like what your bosses are doin' over there!"

"'EY! No talkin'!" the other guard snapped, giving Kaneda a small kick in the back.

"Hey, c'mon now! I'm just makin' friendly conversation with your partner, here," he retorted with a sly grin. "He's lookin' a little..._scared_ about something."

"Scared?" the bored one asked while giving the other an accusing look. "Of what?"

"Well of _course_ I'm scared!" the nervous guard cried. "Who wouldn't be? I mean, the boss is just minutes away from summoning this...this giant monster that tried to destroy the city a long time ago! Who's to say he's not gonna eat all that food, then have _us_ for dessert? I don't know about you, but I don't wanna get eaten!"

"Oh _please_, Shin," the bored goon scoffed. "Do you honestly think some huge, freaky monster is gonna come outta that mirror just 'cause somebody does some stupid song and dance in front of it? Nothin's gonna happen!"

"Well, if you're so afraid you're gonna eaten...," Kaneda said to the worried guard. He then turned to the other. "...And you think this whole thing is bullshit..." He then addressed them both. "...Then why are you even out here?"

"'Cause that's what we're gettin' paid for, ya idiot!" the bored henchman barked. "These people might be nuckin' futs, but they pay us great money! Now do us all a favor and shut your mouth!"

"Y'know guys, the show can't go on without me," the biker continued. "If you really don't wanna get eaten or are sick of gettin' your time wasted, then just untie me! We can make it look like I freed myself and ran away. How's that sound?" He grinned at them.

"Shin" looked like he rather liked this idea. His partner even looked like he was considering it. Unfortunately, Kaneda's hopes were dashed when the bored one answered, "Forget it. The things the boss would do to us if we let you go would be a lot worse than facin' down some freaky-ass monster." After a brief pause he added, "Y'know, if this freaky-ass monster was actually gonna show up. Which he's _not,_ I'm just throwin' that out there..."

The biker wasn't giving up. "You sure about that? I've faced this thing myself, and it's pretty damn awful..."

"Yes, I'm sure! Now shut the hell up!" the goon yelled, becoming incredibly annoyed at Kaneda's incessant needling.

"Ah, Mr. Kaneda! You've awakened!"

All three of them jumped. They turned to see the cult leader approaching them. The two guards quickly picked the biker off the ground.

"Yeah, I'm awake!" Kaneda defiantly snapped at the older man. "What of it?"

The leader smirked. "Why, the Grand Ceremony is about to begin! Aren't you excited about getting to see your old friend after all these years?" He let out a cold chuckle. "Well...before he eats you alive, that is."

"What...?" Despite the fact that Kaneda hadn't previously believed anything the cult leader had said about summoning Tetsuo, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? How foolish of me!" the cult leader responded, putting on his twisted grin. "When the Devourer is summoned, he is bound to the mirror used in the ritual. He cannot leave the mirror...unless he dines on live human flesh." The old man leaned forward and stared the mechanic square in the eye. "And I'm guessing he'd be more than happy to dine on _yours._ If memory serves me right, you two had a little, shall we say, 'disagreement' before he left? I also recall hearing that he tried to ingest you not once, but _twice_."

"Not on purpose!" the biker blurted out. Embarrassed, he quickly added, "Who cares what happened back then anyway? It's not like your stupid magic trick's gonna work!"

"We shall see, Mr. Kaneda. We shall see," the old man replied with a sinister chuckle. He then turned to the two henchmen. "Bring him!"

The two guards each grabbed the aged mechanic by and arm and dragged him over to where the cult members were assembling. As he was brought closer, Kaneda got a better view of what the "altar" looked like. As he saw before, there was a long table with tons of different kinds of food set upon it. Meters away from the table was that tall thing - the mirror that the leader and the guard had mentioned. Judging from what he had heard, Tetsuo was supposed to emerge from that mirror after they did something in front of it. Well, assuming it actually worked...

The guards dragged him to the back of the crowd. Peeking over the members' heads, Kaneda could see the leader step in front of the mirror. Two other robed guys stood on either side of it with buckets at their feet. The buckets reminded him of those people at the Black Lotus Temple that were dumping blood all over that throne. He had a good feeling these buckets were also full of blood - but _not_ their own.

It was then that the leader began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the congregation! We are gathered here today not just as observers of a very special anniversary...but as those fulfilling their destiny."

_Destiny_? Kaneda rolled his eyes. Great. These lunatics thought that they were _supposed_ to be doing this.

"Sixty-two years ago," the cult leader continued, "fate chose this very city as an epicenter for a great cycle. Every thirty-one years the city would be destroyed, but a great enlightenment would be bestowed upon the surviors. The first time, a few people became aware of the Power, and our sect was established. The second time, the entire country became aware of it. As for this one, it is far too early to tell what shall be revealed. All that I know is that the cycle is destined to repeat until the Power is awakened inside all of us. This I was told a long time ago by my late teacher and founder of our sect, Lady Miyako. Whether or not this will be the final Fall, I cannot tell. It is up to fate to decide."

The biker raised an eyebrow. What was _that_ supposed to mean? They wanted to keep blowing up the city until _everybody_ was psychic? How the hell did they figure that would happen? Oh wait, that's right - they're insane!

But the fact that they were around before the second incident piqued his curiosity. He remembered seeing a group of Akira-worshipping loonies not long before the whole mess with Tetsuo happened. He wondered if these were the same guys. It would certainly explain why many of them were so old.

"But many of you may be wondering how a Third Fall would even be possible," the old man went on. "After all, the Great One's remains are gone, the Wizened Ones have vanished, and the Akira Project has been banned from this country. Furthermore, no signs of the Project have surfaced in other parts of the world. I had once wondered about it myself. In fact, this very problem is something that had plagued me for years. Everywhere I looked, I could not find an answer. And unfortunately, Lady Miyako died of her injuries after that terrible encounter with the Devourer on that bridge; I had no one to ask. I began to lose hope - until recently.

"Just a few years ago, I had a wonderful revelation. I realized that all this time, I had been looking at the problem from the wrong perspective. The answer lied not in attempting to summon the Great One from his plane. To put it simply, there is no way to summon him. The answer was to trigger an event that would cause him to return to this one. And that event would be to summon someone else. Someone that had already played a pivotal role in summoning the Great One before. Someone that, once unleashed, the Great One would have no choice but to return to the city. By this, I mean the Great Red Fiend himself - the Devourer!"

The crowd murmured quietly. Shin shivered. The bored guard tapped his foot impatiently. Kaneda wondered when the old crone would be done talking.

"But many of you may now be wondering how _this_ could be possible," the leader said. "After all, did not the Great Akira slay him during the Second Fall? The answer is no. For whatever reason, the Great One chose not to slay him, but instead seal him away. The proof lies within a ritualistic game that many young men and women like to play these days to try and scare each other. Like everyone else, I assumed it was just a game - until a mysterious death just happened to occur when one unfortunate soul played it. It was then that I realized that this was not simply a game; someone had come across a ritual that could temporarily undo the seal and bring the Devourer back to this plane. And it is this very ritual that we shall be using tonight.

"Of course, preparing the Grand Ceremony wasn't easy. The ritual required the summoner to repeat the Devourer's given name thrice before the mirror. Also, to completely free him from his prison, a live human sacrifice must be made. Unfortunately, no one knew the Devourer's true name. It seemed rather tedious to go through a book of names, repeating each one until the right one was found. And trying to pick a live sacrifice is never an easy decision to make. But, thanks to one hard-working member of our congregation, we managed to find an easy solution to both these problems. Not only did he manage find someone who knew the Devourer's true name, but also someone who would make a perfect sacrifice!"

The leader pointed one of his long fingernails to the back of the crowd with a smug smile on his face. "And that 'someone' would be Mr. Kaneda back there. Or 'the Noble One,' as some of you may know him."

The cult members turned around to look at the aged biker, who just sneered back at them.

"Whaddya lookin' at?" he snarled. "See something ya like?"

"Once the Devourer feeds upon his flesh, he will be free to roam the city once again," the cult leader continued, as the members turned their attention back to him. "But since his appetite can never be satisfied, it won't be long until he becomes hungry once again. He will try in vain to quell his unending appetite by devouring the city itself. Once that happens, the Great One is sure to reappear, bringing the Third Fall with him. The cycle will be complete once again."

Kaneda continued to snarl. How did these whackjobs figure Tetsuo wouldn't try to eat them, too? Did they ever bother to think of that? Oh that's right, he forgot - they're _insane_. They probably thought they'd magically survive somehow. Or they expected to get eaten and go down as martyrs.

He found it pathetic that the only other sane ones here were the two lackeys that were babysitting him. He took a few quick glances at both of them. The bored one was rubbing his face and shaking his head. Shin, on the other hand, looked like he was about to wet his pants.

The old leader reached inside his robe and took out a pocket watch. "Time grows short," he observed. He then turned to the two robed members standing by the mirror. "We must begin the ceremony immediately!"

On cue, the two cult members picked up the buckets and began to douse the huge mirror with whatever it was that was in there. It was some kind of dark liquid. Kaneda was still pretty sure it was blood.

The cult leader faced the mirror, put his palms together, and closed his eyes. "Red is the color of his warped flesh...," he chanted. "Blood is the sustenance he craves... The iron in the blood is part of his name..."

Well, looks like he was right about the blood part. But what was all this about Tetsuo "craving" blood? Did they think he was a _vampire_, or something? Kaneda just didn't get wacky cult people.

The leader opened his eyes. "...And that name is...'Tetsuo'..."

Uh-oh. Saying names in front of a bloodied mirror? Kaneda was no expert on the Dark Arts, but he had a sinking feeling this was the summoning part. He figured he'd better do something, and fast.

"Okay guys, last chance!" he whispered to the two guards on either side of him. "You can stop this whole thing if you just let me go now! Whaddya say? Untie me?"

"Forget it, pal," the annoyed guard grunted.

"C'mon, think about it!" the mechanic pressed on. "You guys can save the entire city just by undoin' my ropes! You could be heroes!"

"I _said_ put a sock in it!" the aggravated guard snarled.

"...Tetsuo..."

The biker couldn't help but notice that Shin kept glancing at his restraints. He then watched as the frightened guard slowly and discreetly reached for the ropes around his wrists.

Unfortunately for the both of them, Shin's partner caught them. "Don't even think about it, Shin!" the irritated goon barked. Shin sheepishly put his hand down.

"...TETSUO."

The three of them suddenly forgot all about their little argument and turned their attention toward the mirror. There was a long, dead silence. Time seemed to stop.

But of course, nothing happened. Kaneda felt relieved - and then wanted to kick himself for feeling relieved. For a minute there, these wackos had him believing that Tetsuo was going to come strolling out of a mirror. He couldn't believe he actually fell for that.

Speaking of those wackos, he wondered what they were going to do now. Most importantly, what were they going to do with _him_? He had seen too much; there was no way they were just going to let him go. And there was no way he was just going to sit there and let them kill him. He was going to be in for the fight of his life for the first time in thirty-one years. But first, he had to find some way to get these restraints off.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a great wave of heat. It turned the chilly crater into a sauna. A bright red light lit up the area. He could hear the cult leader cackling in the distance.

"Behold!" the old man shouted. "The Devourer has risen!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akira, and stuff. The actual guy that does is Katsuhiro Otomo. I just write about it in my spare time.

**Ritual  
Chapter 4**

Someplace far away, a massive figure stirred. A blast of cold air woke it up from a deep sleep. Groggy, it lifted itself up and looked for the source of the draft.

Multitudes of eyes instantly met with a very strange sight. A few meters away for it was a huge, shimmering cloud. At first, the creature thought it was still dreaming. But as that cloud began to condense into an oval shape, it realized he was definitely awake. That "cloud" was a forming portal. It wasn't at all surprised that it was there; it was actually much more surprised it hadn't shown up sooner. Or more often.

It hesitated. It didn't really want to go out there. It really just wanted to go back to sleep (never mind that it had been sleeping all day). But then it smelled meat. Lots of meat. Many different kinds of meat. Roast chicken, ham, dumplings, tempura shrimp...

It could smell other things besides that, too: rice, potatoes, miso soup...even sake! None of that was here, especially not the meat. And it had been having cravings for meat dishes something terrible.

It hesitated again. Why was there so much food? Most of the time, it only got a few cheap cuts of meat, which many summoners didn't even bother to cook. Now it smelled like there was a feast out there. There was something very fishy about this, and it wasn't just the fresh sashimi it was smelling.

But in the end, its appetite got the better of it. It slowly lifted itself up, and crawled toward the portal.

* * *

This was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for!

He remembered when he first laid eyes upon the beast. It was on that bridge thirty-one yeats ago. He wasn't much of a beast, then; in fact, he looked like an average teenager. Like everyone else, he had mistaken him for the Great Akira due to his supernatural powers. It was an easy mistake to make.

It was only when the bridge was shortly destroyed that he realized something was dreadfully wrong. He had fallen into the water like everyone else, but he was lucky. He hadn't been hurt too badly, and nothing had fallen on him. He was able to swim to safety.

Once on shore, he helped many others get to safety - fellow congregation members, random passer-bys, and some soldiers. Unfortunately, his temple's priestess and leader, Lady Miyako, was nowhere to be found. Given her age, he began to believe that the fall had killed her.

Miraculously, it hadn't. A few minutes later, he found two members of his congregation carrying her out of the water. However, she was badly injured. They planned on taking her and the other survivors to the nearest hospital, but she refused. She demanded to taken out of the city.

"But your wounds are very grave, milady," he had said. "If we try to take you to another city, you might not survive."

"None of us will survive if we do not leave this instant!" she replied. The urgency in her voice worried him.

"But the Great Ak-"

"That boy was not the Great Akira!" she shouted, cutting him off.

Everybody was stunned. But before anyone could say another word, she continued on in a calmer voice.

"I will explain later," she had said. "But for now, time is of the essence - we have to leave the city now. Gather everyone up, and let us depart."

They dressed her wounds and the wounds of their survivors up as best they could before leaving for Neo Yokohama. Here, they were able to bring Lady Miyako to a hospital. The degree of her injuries and her age landed her in the intensive care unit. It was nighttime by then, and they already heard about the fight in front of the stadium and the incident with the SOL satellite on the news. They figured that was what Miyako had been talking about earlier, and why she had urged them all to leave. But the worst had yet to come.

The next morning, he received two important news updates the moment he woke up from what little sleep he had that night: Lady Miyako had recovered, and Neo Tokyo had been destroyed by a mysterious, powerful explosion. _That_ was why she had insisted on them leaving.

He was confused about the explosion; what caused it? Surely, the Great Akira was strong enough to cause such a blast. However, Lady Miyako had told them all just yesterday that the boy with the supernatural powers they had seen on the bridge was not Akira. If he wasn't Akira, who was he, and why did he have those powers? Did he cause the explosion? Was he an entity like Akira?

He rushed to his leader's hospital room with those very questions in mind. The other members of the congregation were crowded around there, and the nurses were trying to keep them all from pouring in at once.

Lady Miyako was already awake in bed, hooked up to many machines. Though she looked better than she did yesterday, she still seemed rather worse for wear. The bun she normally wore her hair in had been undone, and her extremely long locks spilled behind her. Her glasses had been placed on the nightstand next to her, revealing her cloudy, unseeing eyes. Despite her blindness, she turned and looked directly at him the second he walked in the door. She asked the other members in the room if they could leave, for she needed a private moment with him. As soon as they left, he closed the door behind them. She began speaking before he had a chance to turn around.

"I've already heard the news, my child," she said to him. "I saw it has it happened. The entire scenario played out in my dreams yesterday. It was the most dreadful thing I saw since the First Fall."

"You already know?" he had asked. "Then how-?"

"The Great Akira did indeed cause that blast," she explained. "I had a vision of it as I fell from the bridge. That is why I ordered all of us leave. I did not want to see any lives lost in the coming cataclysm."

"But that boy...I thought you said-"

"He is _not_ the Great Akira, and never was," she replied. "I thought he was at first, given his great power. But I began to sense something very different about him as I neared him. He is simply an angry young man given more power than he could handle. As for the Great Akira, his friends summoned him. He reappeared to take that angry boy away."

"Take him away?"

"Yes. Akira took him to his own plane so that he cannot harm anyone else. Even now, I can hear the boy slithering about, trying to find a way out of his dimensional prison. But he won't find one...not for a long time."

_Slither_? He raised an eyebrow.

She smiled at him. "You will find out soon enough."

He now knew that she was talking about the Devourer's monstrous transformation.

"What about the Great One?" he continued. "Is he still here?"

"No, he did not stay. He must maintain his own plane along with taking care of his old friends and that boy."

She paused. "Though I cannot read a mind as vast as his, I could sense Lord Akira's regret during his brief visit. He did not want to destroy the city again, but he did not have a choice. There was no other way."

"Will this cataclysm happen again, milady?"

"I cannot say. It is far beyond my sight. But I do sense that the Great One will return...many times. Until we are all as he is."

At that point, the nurses stepped in the check on Miyako's progress, and he was ushered back into the waiting room. The congregation members that had gathered there immediately pounced on him for answers. He tried to answer them as best he could from his discussion with her. However, he still had many questions himself. He hoped Lady Miyako a speedy recovery so that she might answer those questions, as well as calm the nervous congregation.

But his hopes were dashed when she died a few days later. Her health suddenly took a turn for the worse, and the physicians were not able to save her. Because he had been second-in-command, leadership had been passed to him. It couldn't have come at a worse time. The congregation was in a panic due to the city being destroyed and Lady Miyako dying. They were also rapidly losing their faith. Many were questioning Akira's "greatness" if another person was walking around with immense psychic powers like him. Others began to believe that Akira was, in fact, an evil spirit all along. To make matters worse, rival sects began cropping everywhere in the following months.

While he managed to keep his congregation together, he ultimately lost the battle for popularity. It made him feel like a failure at first, but over time he began to care less about that and care more about something his former teacher had told him: Lord Akira's return. She said it would happen many times, but she didn't say when. It seemed only logical to him that he would appear each time after thirty one years. This was where he formulated the idea of a "great cycle."

But something disturbed him; he remembered she had said that his friends has _summoned_ him. He had not simply appeared on his own. Would they have to do the same? If they did, it seemed that only his sect knew about it - and would be the only ones up to the task. Perhaps fate smiled on them after all.

For many years he researched different forms psionics and mysticism in search of a way to summon the Great Akira. He even looked into magic a few times when he got desperate. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not find anything that worked.

That's when he found out about that game - "Feed the Devourer." At first, he ignored it; it was just a game, after all. After awhile, however, he began to think it over. Lady Miyako told him that Lord Akira's friends had summon him to deal with the Devourer. Perhaps Akira needed a _reason_ to come back. Well, the Devourer's return to Neo Tokyo sure seemed like a good reason as any.

But would it work? He asked himself that long before anyone else did. It was just a childish game, after all. Thankfully, he received his answer not long after that. He found that story in the newspaper about the college boy who died mysteriously after playing that game. It was then that he decided to put his plan into motion.

And now, finally, all those years of hard work had finally paid off. The game turned out to be an actual summon spell after all. Now, he could only hope that the rest of the plan would follow through.

* * *

"No...," Kaneda whispered incredulously. He looked up at the mirror to make sure this wasn't some kind of trick.

The mirror no longer had a reflection in it. Instead, the bright red light, as well as the heat wave, was pouring out of it. In a moment, the red light subsided and was replaced by two glowing concentric red circles on a black background.

And then something emerged from the mirror. Both of the guards looked like they were about to faint dead away.

"...Oh my God," the previously bored henchman gasped.

"Y'see? Y'see, Ryo? I-I told you!" Shin nervously berated his partner.

Kaneda could only stand there with his mouth agape. _What the...HELL?_ he thought. _This can't be happening! There's no way...it's just an urban myth, dammit! How COULD it work? I've got to dreamin'! Yeah, that's it...I bet I'm still sleepin', and the drugs are givin' me nightmares! I'm gonna slap myself, and I'll wake right up!_

Unfortunately, with his hands still tied tightly behind his back, he found himself unable to slap himself awake.

_Okay, then...I'm gonna close my eyes instead. Yeah, and when I open them, I'll be somewhere else. Like home. Or better yet, the Bahamas or something!_

He shut his eyes tightly and counted to three. On three, he opened them again. Unfortunately, he did not find himself at home nor a tropical resort; he was still down in one of the craters, tied up. And a familiar face was now standing in front of the mirror.

What had stepped out looked human enough. In fact, he almost looked exactly the way he did just before his terrible mutation. His black hair was messy and sticking straight up. He was wearing the same outfit consisting of a white sleeveless shirt, a pair of jeans, boots, and a red cape. His right arm had been replaced with a mechanical prosthesis. But upon closer inspection, Kaneda could see that the similarities ended there.

Tetsuo was slightly taller now and looked older. He now looked like an adult. However he still looked fairly young, not middle-aged like he was supposed to be. His skin had turned bright red. His eyes had turned red too. It was hard to miss them, for they were glowing like hot coals. His shirt wasn't actually a shirt; it was a white breastplate. Emblazoned on the chest was a red flower. Kaneda recognized it as the same flower from the temple - a lotus blossom. Plate half greaves covered his shins. His mechanical arm looked a lot more sleek and sophisticated than before; in fact, it looked a lot more sleek and sophisticated than most prosthetic arms currently on the market. It had large blood vessels, muscles, and other organic bits smoothly integrated into it. The fingers ended in long metal claws. His left arm looked the same way, only red rather than steel gray.

And then there was his cape. His cape was the answer to the obvious question, "What happened to the rest of him?" It was not made out of cloth like his old one. It was made out of reddened, bloated flesh, viscera, and random mechanical parts. It crawled behind him on thick, fingered tendrils rather than dragged on the ground. In other words, Tetsuo had not gone back to normal at all; he was simply wearing his gigantic, horrifying mass like a living cape.

The mutant psychic stepped away from the mirror and took a look around. A sinister smile crept across his face. "I was wondering when someone was going to summon me today," he said, his distorted voice now deep and gruff, almost gravelly. At least he _sounded_ his age. "For a second there, I was about to give up."

The cult members quickly got on their hands and knees, the leader included. Not wanting to be spotted, the two henchmen quickly followed suit, dragging Kaneda down with them. That was fine by him, for he didn't exactly want to call attention to himself right now either.

"Welcome, Master Tetsuo," the leader said, still bowing. Despite the fact that one of the most feared figures in Neo Tokyo's recent history was standing right in front of him, the old man seemed awful calm. "Please, make yourself at home."

The psychic in question looked surprised at the leader's politeness at first, but then snickered. "_Master_ Tetsuo? I like the sound of that," he said. "And since we're outside, I think I'll take up your offer on makin' myself at home!"

Tetsuo turned around and grasped his enormous "cape" with both hands. He gave a sharp tug and grunted as if he was trying to lift something heavy. All at once, tons upon tons of the swollen, techno-organic mass began pouring out of the portal. As it tumbled out, it crawled behind the mirror and began rapidly filling up the crater behind it.

Kaneda tried not to watch. He really tried not to but, like a trainwreck or a car accident, he couldn't help but stare at it. Tetsuo had gotten bigger since last time - much bigger! The crazy old man was right; he _had been_ growing all this time. While he certainly didn't look big enough to "swallow up the entire country," he was spilling over his half of the crater - and there was still more of him coming! It made the mechanic want to puke.

After a few minutes, the disgusting deluge ended as a long, red, whip-like "tail" emerged from the portal and coiled itself around the mirror's base. Once the enormous mass settled itself, certain sections of it began to glow red and orange. Apparently, he had become bioluminous. The mass also sprouted gigantic, biomechanical versions of the red lotus blossom painted on his breastplate. Tetsuo let out a satisfied sigh.

"I usually get stuck in some college kid's cramped dorm room," he explained, grinning. "Feels good to finally stretch out a bit!"

The cult leader stood up a gestured to the table behind him. "We have prepared a feast in your honor," he said, his twisted smile still plastered on his face. "Feel free to help yourself. We hope the offerings are to your liking..."

"Don't mind if I do," the mutant replied, nonchalantly. He walked over to the table, his massive cape crawling after him on tendrils and pseudopods. The old man quickly got out of his way and headed to the other side of the table. The rest of the congregation stood up, although the two henchmen were perfectly content to continue laying low.

Tetsuo wasted no time in digging into the offerings. He ravenously tore into a raw side of beef as if he hadn't eaten in years. His "cape" helped him with the meal by sending out hundreds of small tendrils that would grab bits of food and drag them back into his mass.

"You've really outdone yourself," the psychic said to the cult leader with his mouth full. "Usually all I get is a couple uncooked steaks." He paused to swallow. "...Which begs the question - what's the catch?"

"The catch?" the leader asked.

"Oh, c'mon!" Tetsuo replied, tearing a drumstick off of a roast chicken and pointing it at him accusingly. "You wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of makin' me a big, fancy meal unless you wanted something. Now what is it? You want someone dead? You want a part of the city blown up? What?" He bit right into the drumstick like one would bite into a carrot stick. The bones made loud, sickening crunch sounds in his mouth. It was a wonder he didn't choke on them.

The old man chuckled and shook his head. "Not to worry, Master Tetsuo. This isn't a bribe," he said. "Actually, we are here to do _you_ a favor. We are going to set you free."

"Oh, _really_?" the massive psychic scoffed.

"Yes," the leader responded. "We know that you need a live human sacrifice in order to fully escape your prison. We have him all ready for you. I think you might approve of our choice..."

The old man gestured to the back of the crowd with his hand. The crowd obediently parted, revealing the biker and the two henchmen still huddled on the ground. When they realized they were exposed, the guards jumped to their feet, pulling Kaneda up with them. They didn't dare step forward.

"Oh my God, Ryo!" Shin whispered loudly. "What do we do now?"

"Well whatever you do," Ryo replied, "don't make any sudden moves, don't look him in the eye, and try not to look scared. Psychics can, like..._breathe_ fear, or something."

Without the crowd to cover him, Kaneda was now forced to face his old friend for the first time in three decades. He half expected Tetsuo to start laughing at him, or at least make some kind of nasty comment. The other half of him expected his old buddy to kill him right then and there in some utterly gruesome fashion, and then eat him right in front of everybody. But that's not what happened. Instead, Tetsuo just stared at him wide-eyed, in shock. Eyes of various sizes in his "cape" gave the biker shocked stares as well.

"...Kaneda?" Tetsuo asked. "Is that you?"

"Hmmph!" Kaneda just disdainfully turned his head away.

Meanwhile, the cult leader was not amused by his henchmen's reluctance to come forward. "Bring him here...," he growled at them.

"N-no, that's okay," Tetsuo suddenly spoke. "They're fine. Just leave him there."

The old man shrugged. "As you wish, Master Tetsuo."

The guards didn't need to be told twice. The dropped Kaneda like a sack of potatoes and started backing even farther away from the giant.

"Now then," the leader said, turning back to the hungry creature. "If you don't mind, Master, we will leave now and let you enjoy your meal in peace. I'm sure you don't want us staring at you while you eat, yes?"

"Uh...right," Tetsuo replied, in the midst of shaking off his shock. "You do that."

The cult leader and his followers all gave him a deep bow. "Farewell, Master Tetsuo," the old man said. "We hope you enjoy your feast."

"Uh, okay. Sure," the psychic said back, raising an eyebrow at the bowing. "See ya..."

With that, the entire congregation quietly left the crater. The two guards quickly followed them, not wanting to be left behind.

"Hey, Ryo?" Shin whispered nervously. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for the right moment, then we slip on outta here," Ryo whispered back. "After that, we run to our cars and jump in."

"What then?"

"We drive, Shin, we drive. We drive right outta this damn city and go someplace else. We drive all the way across the country if we gotta. And if that don't work, then we jump on a plane and go someplace that doesn't have a monster problem...like Australia, maybe. You never hear about monsters attackin' Australia."

"I dunno, I heard those kangaroos are pretty vicious..."

"Animals don't count, Shin!"

As much as he wanted to join those two annoying goons, Kaneda, unfortunately, could only lie there. Meanwhile, he thought he heard his old friend mumble something under his breath about the cult. He believed he said, "...What a bunch of freaks!" For once, he actually agreed with him.

But that wasn't important right now; what _was_ important was getting those ropes off and running away before he was eaten alive by a giant monster. He tried his wrists first. He flexed them back and forth, trying to loosen the rope around them.

While doing this, he made the mistake of looking up and seeing just how little time he had left. Tetsuo had already finished that entire feast. It was probably thanks to all those tendrils. Being able to eat with one's entire body had its advantages. Now, he was just licking the plates - right before _eating_ said plates. Once they had all been ingested, two very large mouths suddenly formed in his mass just behind his humanoid body. With a hiss, they opened, revealing sabre teeth as long as Kaneda's femur. Two very large, thick tongues snaked out - one a purplish red, the other a sickly green. Their tips sprouted fingers and they grasped either end of the long table. They snapped it like a twig and dragged both halves back into their respective mouths.

Not good. This was _not_ good. Kaneda desperately struggled one last time against his restraints, trying to ignore the ominous sound of a wooden table being chewed up like a potato chip in the distance. He pulled and tugged so hard at the ropes around his wrists, he thought he was going to break his arms.

His efforts were interrupted by a red light suddenly shining in his face. It was like someone had turned a red spotlight on him. He didn't want to look, but he did anyway. Tetsuo was now staring right at him, his eyes glowing like a pair of taillights. He had a malevolent grin on his face that said only one thing - he was ready for dessert.

"Kaneda...," he hissed, as he slowly started to walk toward him. "We have a lot of catching up to do, now don't we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akira, and stuff. The actual guy that does is Katsuhiro Otomo. I just write about it in my spare time. I didn't make up the pool van either; some guys on a Japanese TV show actually made one (though I can't seem to find their names).

**Ritual  
Chapter 5**

It couldn't end this way. It just couldn't! Kaneda gave one final tug on the ropes around his wrists. Unfortunately, they still refused to give. He then tried standing up. Sure, all he would be able to do was _hop_ away, but that was better than nothing. Sadly, he couldn't manage to do that either. With his ankles bound, he kept losing his balance and toppling over. The farthest he ever got was up on his knees.

The footsteps were getting closer. He now could hear those horrible, slimy red tendrils making disgusting, wet "squish" noises on the ground as they walked. The sweltering heat was becoming more intense. There was now a scent of burning charcoal in the air, and it was becoming stronger by the moment. Tetsuo was almost upon him.

This was it. This was really it. Kaneda was going to die, and he hadn't even turned fifty yet. Granted, he never really expected to live that long, anyway. But he expected to die from an unfortunate motorcycle accident or from a Clown member that decided to play hardball and bring a gun to a fight. Never in a million years would he guess that he was going to be eaten alive by his former-best-friend-turned-monster. If he had known this was going to happen, he would have never returned that stupid toy robot all those years ago.

His only regret was that he never proposed to Kei. While he never actually bothered with it because she was gone all the time (and rings were expensive), he always wanted to in the back of his mind. Now he was never going to get that chance.

Come to think of it, that wasn't his only regret. He also regretted never jumping a canyon on his old motorcycle. It didn't have to be a specific canyon, just as long as it was deep and wide. He also regretted not hiring more people to work at his garage. He wondered what Kai was going to do when he would come into work the next day and find him gone.

Tetsuo was now right in front of him. Kaneda shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop. He wondered how his old friend was going to do him in. Was he going to strangle him to death with those tendrils? Crush him under his hideous mass? Savagely tear him limb from limb? Kill him with some sort of freaky biomechanical weapon he had hidden in that huge body? Poison him to death with some kind of venom that he had developed during his absence? Hey, he had glowing parts now, so why not venom? His imagination was going wild.

Surprisingly, nothing happened. Instead, Tetsuo just sat down in front of him. It was at that moment that a miracle happened. Kaneda felt the ropes around him suddenly loosen. He tried tugging at them again. This time, they slid off without a hitch. It was a good thing too, because he was really starting to get rope burn. He shook off the restraints and sat up. A quick glance at the ropes revealed that they had been cut somehow.

"There, now doesn't that feel better?"

Kaneda immediately jumped to his feet. In his confusion, he had almost forgotten about..._him._ He turned to face the beast. Tetsuo was still sitting there, grinning at him.

"So, how's tricks?" Tetsuo asked.

Kaneda stepped back and stared at the mutant incredulously. "...Huh?" was all he managed to say.

"I said, 'How's tricks?'" Tetsuo repeated. "Y'know...how's it going? What have you been doin' while I was gone?" He piled his "cape" up behind him and reclined against it like a pillow. A really, really ugly pillow.

Now that he was closer, and because his glowing body provided more adequate lighting, Tetsuo's mutations could now be seen in better detail. Not that Kaneda actually wanted to. It was like a train wreck; he couldn't help but find himself staring. That outfit of his had blood vessels lacing in and out of it. Parts of them seemed to be pulsing. In other words, they were actually much like his cape - a part of him rather than actual articles of clothing. Large gears were on either side of his knees and ankles. He still had those wires in his face, but they were harder to see now. They lay just under his skin and had developed branches, making them look like veins. Maybe they were now a combination of both. There were also large wires in his neck.

He had a wide grin on his face. A grin that sent chills up and down Kaneda's spine. His teeth had been replaced by two rows of sharp fangs that looked like they belonged in the mouth of a crocodile. No wonder he was able to chew through everything so easily. Whatever humanity had been left in him at the time of his disappearance was long gone now.

Kaneda immediately thought about running. He was free now; there was nothing stopping him. It sounded like the smartest thing to do. But was it really? Tetsuo might put up some sort of barrier to keep him from leaving. But if he was going to stop him, why did he even bother to cut the ropes? Tetsuo had to have been the one to do that - there was no one else here.

But even if he could get away, where could he go? Tetsuo had been summoned here to destroy Neo Tokyo again. It wasn't like he could just go home and go to bed. He'd have to round up Kai and Kei and leave the city - provided Tetsuo didn't destroy everything before he got the chance.

But most importantly, running away was probably what Tetsuo wanted him to do. It was what he had been wanting for a long time. Kaneda wasn't about to let this giant freak have that satisfaction, even if it seemed like a stupid move. Instead, he just glared at the psychic and said nothing.

Tetsuo chuckled. "You really thought I was gonna eat ya for a sec there, didn'tcha?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Kaneda growled.

"Oh, _please,_ Kaneda," Tetsuo laughed. "I wouldn't dream of eatin' ya. You probably taste terrible anyway!"

Kaneda just snarled.

The monstrous psychic sat up a little. "Still pissed at me over what happened, huh?" he asked. He shook his head. "C'mon now, Kaneda, that was a long time ago. No use livin' in the past."

"No use livin' in the-?" Kaneda couldn't believe what he was hearing. Any remaining fear he had of the huge beast in front of him was replaced by rage. "You killed hundreds of innocent people, you turned on me, you tried to kill _me_ several times, you tore up the city, you're about to do it again...and all you gotta say for yourself is that I'm 'livin' in the past'? Well I'd say I gotta damn good reason for it!"

Tetsuo rolled his eyes (including the ones in his mass). "'Innocent people,' huh?" he said, sounding irritated. "Y'mean those guys followin' me around with guns, 'n' tanks, 'n' helicopters, 'n'..._armed satellites_? Yeah, real innocent." He snorted. "What'd you expect me to do, just let them kill me?"

"I ain't talkin' about the fuckin' army!" Kaneda snapped. "I'm talkin' about all the random people that got killed during your little temper tantrum! I'm talkin' the bartender from the Harukiya! I'm-"

"You're talkin' about Yamagata," Tetsuo said blandly, cutting him off.

"Yeah!" Kaneda barked. "Last time I checked, he wasn't drivin' around in a tank shootin' at'cha! Oh, and while I'm at it...who's the one who smooshed their own girlfriend to death?"

Mentioning Kaori seemed to strike a nerve. Tetsuo let out an incredibly loud growl in response. It was a deep growl, like something a large predatory animal would make. Kaneda winced, but quickly regained his composure. Even if Tetsuo was going to kill him right where he stood, he still refused to be afraid of him.

"Kaori's death was an accident. You know that! I'll thank you not to drag her into this," Tetsuo snapped, defensively. "And as for Yamagata...I did it 'cause I hated him. I was so sick of him bitchin' about the way I was ridin', and sayin' that I was only part of the gang 'cause of you. He was such an asshole."

"I don't care! You don't kill someone for being an asshole!" Kaneda shouted.

"_I know that!_ Tetsuo thundered, the ground shaking as he spoke. Kaneda swore he saw a plume of fire come out of his mouth and a puff of smoke from his nostrils.

Tetsuo then bowed his head and rubbed his right temple. He shook his head, as if trying to fight off a headache. His furious expression melted off his face. Even his glowing parts dimmed for a second.

"I-I know that," he said to the ground. His voice was much calmer and quieter - almost pained. "I know that now. I shouldn't have done it. It just seemed like a good idea at the time." He looked back up. "In case you didn't get the memo, I was a very pissed off teenager."

Kaneda was silent for a long time. Did Tetsuo...just admit to regretting killing off Yamagata? It sounded impossible. He finally managed to let out a, "Wait, what?"

"I shouldn'tve killed Yamagata!" Tetsuo blurted out.

There was an awkward silence.

"I-I know that's not gonna bring him back or anything," Tetsuo continued, "but...it's better than nothing."

Kaneda wasn't convinced. "Yeah? Well what's this I hear about you killin' some kid not too long ago?" he said, crossing his arms. "If you feel so bad about killin' people, why the hell are you still doin' it?"

"That was an accident," Tetsuo muttered. "I lost my temper."

"Lost your temper, huh?" Kaneda scoffed. "Yeah, _there's_ the Tetsuo I know!"

"The kid was fuckin' crazy!" Tetsuo snapped. He started staring at the ground as he began to explain. It was if he was...ashamed. "Thought he was some kinda wizard, or something. Dressed up like those fuckin' weirdoes." He pointed in the general direction that the cult had walked off. "He had some poor chick tied up, and was tryin' to offer her up as a virgin sacrifice. Pissed me off something terrible!" Tetsuo was just going to leave out the part where the girl reminded him of Kaori. "I wound up roughin him up a bit."

"Some accident!" Kaneda snorted.

"I wasn't tryin' to kill him!" Tetsuo retorted. "I just wanted to teach him a lesson or at least scare him off, or something. I tried to shove him against a wall, but he got cut up instead! Look, after I let the girl outta there, I tried to fix him up best I could. I even tried callin' an ambulance, but..." He started rubbing his forehead. "He died anyway. Akira told me the next morning."

Kaneda looked confused again. And surprised. "_You_ called an ambulance?"

"Well, yeah! I couldn't just let him bleed to death!" Tetsuo replied. "I just made sure I got outta there when the ambulance showed up."

This didn't make any sense. First Tetsuo was regretting killing somebody, and now he was trying to save someone he just got through brutalizing? It just didn't sound right. Maybe he was lying? Yeah...that's it. He had to be lying.

"Oh, bullshit!" Kaneda snapped. "You think I'm gonna believe all that? Those robe-wearin' psychos summoned you to destroy the city again, and guess what? _Here you are_! Ain't that a coincidence?"

Tetsuo just laughed. "Oh, _please_!" he said. "If I stopped takin' orders from _you_, do ya really think I'd take 'em from any random stranger that throws a chicken at me?"

Kaneda paused. Well, that _did_ make sense.

"Those fucknuts shoulda saved their money for something else," Tetsuo chuckled. "My city-stomping days are way behind me!"

"If you ain't here to destroy the city again, then what the hell _are_ ya doin' here?" he asked.

"For the food," Tetsuo said simply.

"The...food?"

"Yeah, there's no meat where I live. Eatin' nothing but plants gets really boring after awhile."

Kaneda was silent again. He still didn't believe Tetsuo, but he was out of arguments. The only thing he could think to say was, "...Who are you, and what have you done with Tetsuo?"

The psychic let out an earth-shaking laugh. "Oh c'mon, Kaneda," he chuckled. "Do ya really think I haven't changed at all in thirty-one years?"

"No, actually," the older biker snorted.

Tetsuo sighed and shook his head. He started looking at the ground again. "Well, I guess I can understand...if ya still don't trust me," he said.

There was a long silence. Kaneda stood there, wondering what he should do. He started to contemplate leaving again, but he didn't want to turn his back on Tetsuo; if this was really a trap, turning around was a nice way to get attacked from behind.

Thankfully, he didn't have to think for long. Tetsuo began to speak again.

"Look. Kaneda...I don't think you'll accept this, but...if you really want proof that I've changed, then this is it: I'm sorry."

Kaneda gave him a sideways glance. He wasn't completely surprised Tetsuo said that; after all, he just apologized for Yamagata's death. He just wasn't sure how to respond to it. Tetsuo had done a lot of horrible things back then - things Kaneda wasn't sure if he could forgive. He still wasn't sure if Tetsuo could really be trusted right now.

Tetsuo didn't seem to be finished. "I'm sorry...I tried to kill you. I always thought...you were treating like a kid. I carried that grudge for years - I lashed out when I got my powers. But I know now...that's not what you were tryin' to do."

That almost made Kaneda feel guilty. But he still didn't know if Tetsuo was telling the truth or just become really good at acting, so he kept his mouth shut.

"I'll understand if you can't forgive me," Tetsuo said. "I don't think there's really anything I can do to make up for it."

Kaneda gave him a confused look. "Are you..._dyin'_, or something?"

Tetsuo looked up. "Huh?"

"Are you _dying_?" Kaneda repeated. "Y'know, are you about to not be alive anymore?"

Tetsuo sighed. "Lemme guess...you think the only reason I'm apologizin' about everything is 'cause I'm about to die, 'cause that's what they do on TV, right?"

"Uh...yeah."

The mutant shook his head. "I'm perfectly healthy...y'know, for a blob," he said, smiling a little. "The apologies are just something I've been meanin' to say for a long time."

Kaneda just stood there a moment in contemplation. He wasn't sure if he should really accept that apology or not. On one hand, a simple "I'm sorry" just didn't seem to do justice - he hadn't really apologized for everything, anyway! On the other hand, Tetsuo was still his oldest and closest friend - even if he had turned into a monster.

He suddenly found himself thinking about all the fun they used to have together, before this whole fiasco happened. Riding on motorcycles together, hanging out in bars, playing hooky, dodging the cops, all those kinds of things. Then he was reminded of the good times long before that, back when they were just children. Going to school together, playing on the playground, drawing things on the asphalt with chalk...even the event at the water fountain that started it all.

He then wanted to kick himself for reminiscing. That was all too long ago; it didn't matter anymore.

"Can't decide?" Tetsuo chuckled. "Take your time. I got a few hours."

Kaneda jumped, then turned to the mutant to glare at him. "How did-?" he started to say, but then he figured out how Tetsuo knew about his indecision on his own. "Just stay outta my head, wilya?"

He thought over the apology one last time. Common sense was screaming at him not to. The things he had done were just too awful, and he was probably here to do it all over again. However, his sentiment kept nagging at him to give Tetsuo another chance. He seemed sincere enough, and he pretty much paid for all his misdeeds by getting turned into a gooey monster. Kaneda just didn't know what to do.

"I'll...I'll think about it," he said.

Tetsuo shrugged. "Even that much's better than I expected," he said.

This time, it was Kaneda's turn to divert his eyes to the ground. All this talk of apologies and reminiscing reminded him. They reminded him of those nasty old questions again. Had he really been a bad friend? Was he the reason Tetsuo looked like...that? Was the destruction of the city actually his fault? He shut his eyes. No, he wasn't going to think about that, not here, not now. It almost got him in trouble once before...

Tetsuo must have noticed something. "Something wrong, Kaneda?" he asked.

"It's nuthin'!" Kaneda snapped at the sudden response.

Tetsuo rolled his eyes again. "You're pissed for some reason other than me," he argued. "Don't hafta read your mind to know it ain't nuthin'!"

"Well, it's none of your damn business anyway!" Kaneda growled. "And don't even _think_ about readin' my mind anyway!" He was tempted to cover his ears, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't stop telepathy.

Tetsuo shook his head. "Let's not start this again!" he sighed/ "Look Kaneda, why don't you just try sayin' it?"

Kaneda stared at him like he was insane.

"It sounds clich, yeah," Tetsuo said. "But you're man enough to do it, right? And it's not like I have anybody to tell it to."

Kaneda was silent for a moment. Well, it was true that Tetsuo couldn't rat him out. But still, did he want to admit he might have been wrong too...to his former best friend, of all people? The guy who tried to kill him over the very things he felt guilty about?

Well, Tetsuo did just apologize himself...twice! Assuming he was sincere, of course.

"I...I," he started.

_...Must be insane!_ he mentally finished.

"Yeah?" Tetsuo asked.

"I...probably should apologize, too," Kaneda mumbled, staring at the ground.

Tetsuo raised an eyebrow. "...Wait, what?" he asked.

"I said I'm sorry too!" Kaneda spat.

Tetsuo was dumbstruck. His eyes nearly bulged out of his face (and mass).

"Maybe...maybe I wasn't such a good friend, either," Kaneda continued, after seeing Tetsuo's response. "And I'm probably the reason you're...a blob thing."

"Damn...!" Tetsuo replied. "I...I, uh...holy shit! I got enough psychic power to make myself like this, but I never saw _that_ comin'!"

"Yeah, well don't make me change my mind!" Kaneda muttered.

"No, no, I'm not gonna do anything like that," Tetsuo said. "And really...ya don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong - it was all me. And the blob thing woulda happened anyway."

"It was?"

"Yeah. I mean, gettin' shot up didn't _help_ but...I still woulda been a blob by morning."

"How do ya figure?"

"I'mma psychic. I get visions about those kinda things."

"Ah...yeah."

"So don't worry, ya didn't make me mutate."

"Good!" Kaneda felt relieved. He thought he was going to regret saying all that, but it turned out to be a good idea after all. He actually started to smile a little.

Tetsuo leaned forward and lowered his voice. "And ya didn't help destroy the city either." He winked.

"What the-?" Kaneda shouted "How the hell di-? You were readin' my mind!"

"It's kinda hard not to," Tetsuo grinned, "You think awful loud."

Kaneda rolled his eyes.

Tetsuo stood up and held out his right hand. "Whaddya say? Friends again? Or at least,,,okay with each now?"

Kaneda hesitated at first. But then he stepped forward and held out his own hand in return. "Yeah, sure. Friends."

They shook hands. Kaneda was sure to avoid those claws as he did so. He expected the mutant's hand to be cold and metallic, as it looked like it was mostly mechanical. Instead, it was very warm and slimy. When they let go, he actually found his hand covered in some kind of fluorescent orange ooze. He tried shaking it off, not wanting to wipe it off on his pants. He hoped it wasn't poisonous

"So, gettin' back to my first question...how's tricks?" Tetsuo asked. "You still bustin' Clowns?"

"Nah, they skipped town a long time ago," Kaneda replied. "Akira's explosion scared the shit out of 'em, and they took off. So did a lot of other people - includin' the rest of our guys! It's pretty much down to me and Kai now."

"Kai, huh? How's he doin'?" Tetsuo looked a bit guilty, and Kaneda figured he knew why. Kai was present at that unfortunate incident at the bar. Not only did he see Yamagata get killed, he probably was the next target.

"He's fine," the older biker said. "He can't see worth shit anymore, and I think he's startin' to lose his hair. But other than that, he's been doin' alright. Works with me in the garage."

"Garage? You got a chopshop?" Tetsuo had a sly grin on his face.

"Aw, hell no! What kinda guy do you take me for?" Kaneda protested. An awkward pause followed. "Well yeah, okay...it kinda was in the beginning. But now it's legitimate business. And best of all, it's my own shop! It ain't a job as a motorcycle stuntman, but it's a livin'."

"Runnin' your own business, are ya? Good for you!" The mutant gave him a pat on the back. Kaneda tried not to cringe when he felt the back of his shirt become soaking wet from the slime. "You still got your old bike?"

"Sure do. Never let it outta my sight." Kaneda smirked. "But, uh...I think you're a bit too big to ride it, now."

Tetsuo just laughed. "Hey, you ever get together with that girl I saw you with?"

"Uh...which one?"

"Y'know...the one that got possessed and was fightin' with me."

"Ah, y'mean Kei. Yeah, we been together ever since."

"Seriously? I never saw you as the type to settle down, Kaneda. So, what was the wedding like?"

"Uh...actually, we're not married..."

"...Huh?"

"But we've been engaged for ten years, though!"

"You mean to tell me you've been goin' out with that girl for over thirty years, and you never got hitched?" Tetsuo chuckled and shook his head. "Guess I was right about the 'not settling down' part."

"Hey, it's not like I don't want to! It's just...we're both so busy!"

"I don't mean to push, but you really should sometime. It's hard findin' someone that really cares about you..."

Kaneda was a bit surprised when Tetsuo said that. He never seemed to be the romantic type. But then again, he kept a lot of things to himself so it was hard to tell. Unless...

"You still miss...her, huh?"

Tetsuo didn't respond. Instead, his breastplate suddenly split itself right down the middle, exposing his chest. It looked like a negative image of the breastplate - red with a white lotus blossom emblazoned in the center.

"She's always close to my heart, now," he said sadly, gently putting a clawed hand on the flower.

Kaneda stared at it, puzzled. A moment later, he figured it out and felt a bit nauseous.

"Is that...is that...her?" he tried to ask.

Tetsuo just nodded. Kaneda tried to stifle a shudder, but it came out anyway.

"Uh...why don't we just change the subject, here?" Kaneda asked.

"Yeah. Let's," the giant replied as his breastplate resealed itself.

"What about you? What've _you_ been doin' all these years?" Kaneda eyed the gigantic living cape. "Looks like you gained a bit of weight since I last saw you."

Tetsuo chuckled and gave his huge mass a satisfied pat. "I prefer the term 'well-fed.'"

"I bet you are," Kaneda snickered. "Haven't you tried goin' back to normal size?"

"No, actually. I probably can, but I never bothered to. After awhile, I just got used to it.. Besides," the psychic smirked, "...I _like_ bein' big."

"Bigger is better, huh?"

"Big is _beautiful_."

They laughed.

"So uh...where do you live now? I mean, where does that mirror go to?"

"Well...it's kinda complicated. I dunno if you'd believe me if I told you."

"Oh, I dunno. I've seen enough weird shit in my lifetime to last me the next ten! I don't think you can do any worse."

"Well, in that case...Akira actually gave me my own planet to live on."

"Oh," Kaneda replied. He couldn't help but feel just a bit jealous. This guy goes on a Tokyo-destroying rampage, and his own planet for it? Damn, he should do that sometime! "Sooo...what's it like?"

"It's uh...well, it's basically one big jungle. Really hot and lotsa trees. Not a lot to do there, but it's better than gettin' chased around by G-men all the time. I mostly just sit around eatin' or sleepin'."

_Dammit! Life is unfair,_ Kaneda thought. He immediately tried to shake off his envious feelings, especially since they could be heard. He quickly changed the subject. "What's it like livin' with Akira and them wrinkled kids?"

"Not bad. None of them make a lotta sense when they talk, but they're okay. I talk to Akira most of the time. He helps me out with psychic stuff." Tetsuo smiled. "We make a great team, him and me. I don't wanna listen, and he doesn't wanna give up!" He let out a thunderous laugh. Kaneda swore he felt the ground shake again.

"Yeah, about Akira...are those, uh...'shadow' bird things real?"

"'Shadowalkers' y'mean? Yeah, they're real. They're the reason this place is so cold all the time. There's one actually standin' in front of you."

Kaneda stared apprehensively at the space in front of him. There didn't seem to be anything there but a bare patch of ground. He was tempted to hold out his hand, but he had no idea if these things could bite him.

"You ain't gonna see it, you're not psychic." Tetsuo thoughtful for a second. "Or I should I say, you're not psychic enough?" he added cryptically.

"'Enough'?" Kaneda looked back up and was greeted by that creepy, toothy grin. "Never mind, I don't wanna know."

He then remembered what that monk had told him in the temple - Shadowalkers could look like anything, but mostly seemed to take on the forms of birds and snakes. He really hoped there wasn't a giant invisible snake in front of him...

"Why, Kaneda! I didn't know ya were afraid of snakes!" Tetsuo suddenly laughed.

"Huh? Hey, what'd I say about stayin' outta my head?" the mechanic barked.

"Don't worry, it ain't a snake," the psychic snickered. "It's a bird. The same one that woke you up."

"Woke me up?"

"That's what he tells me," Tetsuo replied. He stared at the space in front of Kaneda and tilted his head, as if listening to something. "...He says those creeps drugged you and dragged you out here. Once the drugs wore off, he pecked you to wake you up."

The biker remembered feeling like he was being poked by something cold when he came to, earlier. He figured it was either one of the guards kicking him, or some kind of sensation brought on by the drugs. The last thing he was expecting it to be was the invisible beak of the twice-destroyer of Neo Tokyo.

"Of all the people to wake me up," he muttered. He looked around suspiciously. "Are there any more of those things out here?"

"Yeah, there's tons of 'em. They're all over the place," Tetsuo answered. "They're just makin' sure I don't do anything stupid." He then turned and said to seemingly nobody, "Which I won't! You know me better'n that!"

"These things don't...suddenly explode, do they?"

"Oh c'mon, Kaneda, they're not bombs! They're not gonna explode for no reason."

"So both you and Akira are out here, but nothing's happening," Kaneda commented. "Those whackjobs are gonna be pissed."

"Ah, yeah. I almost forgot about them," Tetsuo replied, staring off into the distance. "Something should be done about 'em, don't you think?"

"Whaddya mean 'do something about 'em'?"

"Well, they only wanna destroy the city a third time for some crazy-ass reason! Don't they sound dangerous to you?"

"Well...yeah."

"Well then, somebody should stop 'em before they try something else! And since we're the only ones that know about 'em...well, you get the idea."

"Wait a damn minute! You wanna cause a scene and give those fuckin' whackos what they want? Who the hell said they'll try anything else, anyway?"

"They're fanatics, Kaneda. You really think they're just gonna give up if they see me go home?"

"Well what else _can_ they do? They just told me they couldn't summon anybody else!"

"They can try doin' the Akira Project themselves! That's their Plan B. I heard 'em thinkin' about it."

Kaneda looked horrified at first. But then he just rolled his eyes and snorted. "Yeah right, where they the stuff for that? They even know how to do it?"

"They'll figure it out eventually. That's why I better take care of 'em...before somebody winds up gettin' hurt."

"Whaddya mean _you_?"

"Well, if they haven't told you already, they're from the original Akira cult. They're the guys I dropped off the bridge. I guess the fall made them a bit wackier. Guess I should clean up my own mess this time, huh?"

"And how do you plan on doin' that? Those guys are long gone, and you can't leave that mirror, right? Even if you could, you just can't run around the city lookin' like _that_!" Kaneda gestured to Tetsuo's monstrous form again.

"Leave the mirror?" the mutant rolled his eyes and laughed. "I'll let you in on a little secret...I'm not 'bound' to the mirror at all. I can just walk away anytime, no sacrifice necessary!

"And those freaks didn't go anywhere. They're all hangin' out over there, wonderin' what the hell's takin' me so long." He pointed off into the distance at one of the few dilapidated buildings that had never been cleared out.

"As for _how_ I'm gonna take care of them...," Tetsuo shot Kaneda that frightening, toothy grin. "I got some ideas. None of 'em are very nice!"

"Yeah, well don't do anything _stupid_" Kaneda growled.

"What? I ain't gonna take out several city blocks just to kick a bunch of psychos around," Tetsuo retorted. "I got more finesse than that! Besides, I'm surprised you're tryin' to defend them. I mean, they _did_ kidnap ya, drug ya, and try to feed ya to me!"

"I ain't tryin' to defend 'em, I just don't wanna repeat of thirty years ago if you get caught!" Kaneda argued.

Tetsuo smirked. "Still tryin' to look after me after all this time, huh?"

"Uh...no, not really," Kaneda said, embarrassed. "I just don't wanna see another giant explosion, is all."

"Well don't worry 'bout that, 'cause there ain't gonna be one!" Tetsuo reassured him. "'Sides, I got some help." He gestured to an empty space.

Kaneda blinked. "Akira, y'mean?"

"Hmm?" Tetsuo looked at the empty spot as if somebody had said something to him. He turned back to Kaneda and said, "Hang on a sec, he wants a word with me."

The mutant stared attentively at the invisible being while Kaneda looked on. Every once in awhile, something would slip out of his mouth like, "But..." or "Well, then..." Kaneda figured they must be using telepathy. Suddenly, Tetsuo turned back to him.

"Sorry to keep ya hangin' like that," he said. "We were just discussin' the details. He doesn't want me makin' a big scene, either." He gave the invisible creature a pat on the back, which Kaneda thought looked rather odd.

"I don't blame 'im," Kaneda replied, looking at the empty space.

"Anyway, it's gettin' late," Tetsuo said. "I better get this 'payin' my debt to society' thing over with and get my ass home before people start wakin' up." He sighed, and looked a bit more somber. "Well, old buddy...it's been great seein' you after all these years. I'm...glad we were able to talk again. And I got a chance to apologize."

"Same here," Kaneda replied.

"Now I dunno if you ever wanna bother seein' me again," Tetsuo continued. "I mean, we apologized and all, but I dunno if we could ever be 'bestest buddies' like we used to. Still...if you ever feel like...talkin' to me again, feel free to call me anytime, okay? You know how to get ahold of me, right?"

Kaneda tried to remember what those cult members had been doing. "I think so."

Tetsuo seemed to brighten up a bit. "Just make sure to get a big mirror, 'cause I really can't squeeze my way out of a hand mirror. The blood doesn't gotta be human blood; that's just another stupid rumor somebody started. And you don't hafta bother with the food, I'll know it's you."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." In truth, Kaneda wasn't sure if he would ever try summoning Tetsuo. As he had said himself, they probably wouldn't be as close as they were in the "good old days." At the very least, Kaneda didn't want that orange goo all over his carpet - especially if it turned out to be a bitch to clean up.

"And uh,...before I go..." Tetsuo lowered his voice. "I just wanna say thanks. Thanks for everything."

"Nah, don't mention it," Kaneda replied. "...And thank you too."

The psychic smiled, but it wasn't that hideous crocodile grin this time. It was a just normal smile, like the way he used to smile before the fateful accident ever happened. For a moment, he almost looked human again. "Anytime," he said.

"One more thing," the biker added.

"Yeah?"

"Try not to eat too fast. You'll give yourself indigestion!"

Tetsuo blinked. "What? You don't think I'm gonna eat those guys, do ya?" he asked. "I wouldn't do that!" He paused, then added quietly, "Well, maybe their leader..."

He then wrapped his living cape around him, making himself look even more bizarre - a tiny head poking out of an enormous, red blob.

"Before we go," he said, "you probably need a lift home, right?"

"Well, I don't think there's any buses that come around here this time of night," Kaneda joked.

"Notta problem," Tetsuo said. "See ya 'round, old pal..."

"Wait, how are you-?" But before Kaneda could even blink, the scenery changed right before his eyes. It was still dark, but it was no longer cold. The ground was replaced by old carpeting, and he was suddenly surrounded by walls. Familiar walls with posters on them. Tetsuo had disappeared, and Kaneda's dresser had taken his place, He was no longer in the crater; he was at home, standing in his own bedroom!

He was quite surprised. How did he get here? But then he realized it was another psychic trick - he had been _teleported_ home. He walked over to his window and looked outside.

"Yeah, see ya," he said quietly in the general direction of the crater. "And don't worry...least I'll know you did something right..."

* * *

"Has anything happened yet?"

The cult leader was growing very impatient. He and the rest of his followers (minus the two frightened henchmen) were sitting around on the roof of an old, abandoned apartment building not far from the second crater. They had been waiting for the Devourer to eat the human sacrifice they had given him and then go on the subsequent bloody rampage. Unfortunately, that's not what he was doing. Instead, he seemed to be _talking_ to the sacrifice. He had even freed the so-called "Noble One" from the restraints! At first, they had all thought he was just toying with his prey. But this had gone on for a quite awhile; now they weren't sure what to think.

One of the cult members stood up and looked at the crater through a pair of binoculars he had on him. Both the sacrifice and the huge red beast were both standing up, still talking.

"It looks like they're still chatting, sir," he said.

The leader rubbed his forehead. "Perhaps I am just impatient," he sighed, "but I'm still confounded by the fact that he has not eaten the sacrifice yet. He is supposed to be eternally famished, is he not?"

He was now rethinking his choice of sacrifice. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to use someone the Devourer had once been friends with. But didn't the two of them have a bitter fight before they were so forcefully separated? It just didn't add up.

Meanwhile, the lookout didn't bother to answer the leader's question. He was secretly worrying over something he had seen just a few minutes ago. As he had been watching the scene down below, he saw the Devourer and the Noble One actually shake hands. He wasn't sure if he should tell the leader about this. He either wouldn't believe him, or he'd have an absolute conniption fit.

The lookout was shaken from his anxious thoughts when he finally saw activity down below. The Devourer had draped his mutated mass around himself for some reason. The sacrifice still remained uneaten, but it was better than nothing.

"Sir? I think the Devourer is about to make his move!" he announced.

The entire cult snapped to attention. The leader himself stood up.

"Excellent," he said, smiling. "What exactly is happening?"

"Well, he's wrapped his cape around himself and-" The lookout cut himself off.

"_...And_? the leader demanded.

The lookout was very hesitant to say anything. The sacrifice had suddenly disappeared. Had the Devourer eaten him? Or had he...?

Suddenly, the fiend crawled out of the crater and out of the binoculars' range. "He's on the move!" the lookout shouted.

The leader smiled coldly. "So he has finally feasted on our sacrifice?"

"I...guess he has," the lookout replied.

Now the leader looked confused. And frustrated. "You _guess_? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, he didn't actually pick the sacrifice up and chew him up, sir" the lookout replied, fighting to find the creature with the binoculars. "He just kind of...disappeared."

"Well, if he has broken away from the mirror, then it must mean that he has taken our sacrifice!" the leader explained. "At any rate, where is he headed? Is he going into the city?"

"Umm..." The lookout stalled as he continued to search for the monster with no success.

"He's coming right at us!" another member suddenly shouted.

The lookout whipped the binoculars away from his face just in time to see a long reddish streak charge right up to the building. Startled, he quickly jumped away from the roof's edge. A second later, a cascade of red biomechanical flesh buried the spot where he had once been sitting.

Tetsuo had scaled the building, his huge body hanging onto it by a multitude of tendrils. His mass surrounded the roof on all sides. Some of it spilled over to cover the stairway, thus blocking all exits. His head loomed high above them, and he had a malicious smile on his face.

The cult members stood there, frozen in fear. None of them were psychics themselves, but one didn't need to be to know what was coming next. The leader approached the mutant, though he too had a bad feeling.

"M-Master Tetsuo?" he stammered, putting on a shaky smile. "Is...is there something we can do for you?"

"Evil" would have been an understatement for the laugh that came out of the red beast. A plume of fire escaped from his nostrils as he cackled. He leaned over to just above the leader's eye level.

"Yeah, there's something you can do!" he boomed, bearing his sharp teeth in a ferocious grin. The air around him suddenly became scorching hot. "Roll around in bread crumbs while I get the oven ready!"

* * *

It was a typical late night at the hospital. The place was very quiet - only the occasional drunk who had a few too many or victim of a random late-night mishap had checked in. But other than that, nothing much was going on. That was probably due to all the people who had decided to take a vacation.

The night receptionist busied himself with a computer game. It could get boring here, but it was easy money. Sure, every once in awhile, something exciting would happen this late at night. Like that one college student that looked like he had been mauled by a tiger a few months ago. No one ever could figure out what happened to him.

But tonight wasn't one of those nights. Tonight was a normal night. Nothing special was happening. His shift was just about up, too.

That's when he saw something out of the corner of his eye - somebody was here. Lots of somebodies. The next thing he knew, the room was filled with the sound of people talking. The receptionist looked up from his computer to find a large group of people stand around in the lobby. They were all wearing the same thing - dark purple robes. They also all had confused, faraway looks upon their faces.

The receptionist was also confused, Where did they come from? He hadn't heard the door open, and he swore were not there a second ago.

He was suddenly approached by a young man with a pair of binoculars around his neck. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Actually," the guy with the binoculars answered, "I was hoping you could tell us where we are."

* * *

Kaneda gingerly woke up to turn off his alarm clock. He was so exhausted. He was almost tempted to tell Kai he was sick and blow off work. But he knew he couldn't do that; he had to get that stupid pool van finished.

Last night...had he dreamed the whole thing? It sure seemed like it. Getting captured by an insane cult, meeting Tetsuo again who was not only a bigger blob but also very apologetic, and being surrounded by creepy, invisible manifestations of Akira...it sure didn't sound real. But the rope burns on his wrists and ankles told him differently. He was also sore all over from all the fighting. The shirt he was wearing from last night was hanging over a chair because of the orange slime on it. He hadn't wanted to put it in his laundry basket, as it might stain something else.

Just the fact that he was alive and not vaporized was already a good sign. And the fact that his house was still standing. It meant something hadn't gone wrong, or Tetsuo hadn't decided to go on a rampage after all. Kaneda walked over to the window and looked outside, just to be sure. The city was intact, and he didn't see any new craters. It was as if nothing happened at all last night.

He wondered what it was Tetsuo did to those cult members. Did he make their heads explode? Did stomp on them? Did he _eat_ them, like Kaneda joked about? Maybe he didn't want to know.

After a quick breakfast, Kaneda began to open up shop. He hadn't had the garage doors open for five seconds when Kai barreled in on his motorcycle at practically top speed. He almost crashed into the far wall.

"Kai, what the hell was that for?" Kaneda demanded.

Kai nearly tripped over himself trying to get off his bike. He looked upset about something.

"'Ey, Kaneda!" he shouted. You didn't drink any tap water today, did ya?"

"Uh, no," Kaneda answered, confused.

"Good!" Kai said. "'Cause I just heard there might be somethin' in it!"

There was always something, wasn't there? "Like what?" Kaneda muttered.

"Like somethin' that gives ya amnesia!" Kai answered.

"Amnesia?"

"Yeah! There was a whole buncha guys that showed up in th hospital last night. They couldn't remember what they were doin' for the past couple months, or how the hell they got there! They think they got it from contaminated water. It's fucked up, I tell ya!"

A whole bunch of guys suddenly losing their memory? Kaneda became intrigued. "Did they say what these guys looked like?" he asked.

"Uh, not really," Kai replied. "I think they said something them all wearin' the same thing."

"Like robes?"

"Maybe. I wasn't really payin' attention to that," Kai said. "I was too busy freakin' out that they slipped somethin' in the water that makes you lose your memory! How fucked up is that?"

_So that's how they did it,_ Kaneda thought. He wanted to smile, but he knew Kai might start asking questions.

"Yeah, that does sound pretty fucked up," he said, knowingly. "But I don't think ya need to worry 'bout the water. They probably got it from somewhere else."

"What makes ya say that?" Kai asked.

"Well...uh...," Kaneda had to think about that one for a moment. "If they're all wearin' the same thing, that means they're in uniforms right? They probably all work at the same place, and they probably got it while workin'!"

"Maybe. But I still don't trust it," Kai said. "I ain't drinkin' water again 'til all this blows over!"

"What, you mean you actually drink something besides beer?"

"Uh, not really. But just in case I do, it ain't gonna be water!"

Kai was wagging his finger to emphasize his point. Kaneda noticed he had what looked like a string of black beads wrapped around his arm. Kai must have noticed them too, for he stopped in mid-wag and yanked them off, quietly cursing. He hid the beads behind his back.

"What were those?" Kaneda asked.

"Uh...nothing," Kai said, sweating bullets.

Those beads looked awful familiar. Kaneda had to think for a second about where he saw them before. Of course! Those people at the temple were wearing them.

"Looks ya got like beads, or something," he said, trying to peer around Kai. "You get them yesterday?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" Kai asked, removing the rosary from behind his back.

Kaneda shrugged. "I saw people wearin' 'em," he said. "What do they do anyway?"

"Um...," Kai just gave Kaneda a suspicious look.

"Aw c'mon Kai, I ain't gonna bite your head off," Kaneda chided him.

"I think somebody said they stop you from turnin' into a blob thing like Tetsuo," Kai explained. "Ya gotta wear 'em on your right arm, for some reason." He looked to Kaneda. "There somethin' special about the right arm?"

Unfortunately, Kaneda was far too tired to go into another history lesson. "Uh...not that I can remember," he said. "Anyway, how 'bout we get Mrs. Nakamura's pain-in-the-ass finished so we can move on to other things?"

"Uh, okay," Kai replied, putting the beads down on a nearby counter.

They picked up where they left off yesterday, cleaning the algae out of the van's pipes. As they flushed the green nuisance out of the vehicle, Kaneda was suddenly reminded of something important. He wasn't sure what reminded him; maybe it was all the shiny metal lying about?

"Hey Kai, you know of any good jewelers 'round here?" he asked

"Uh...the only one I know of is the one I always pass on my way to work," Kai answered from underneath the van. "How come?"

"Ah, just curious." Kaneda said.

Suddenly, there was a loud thump, and the van shook.

"What the hell was that?" Kaneda demanded.

Kai rolled out from under the van holding his head. Apparently, he bumped it on the undercarriage.

"Are you finally gonna pop the question to Kei? Is that what you're doin'?" he asked.

"Calm down, wouldja?" Kaneda replied. "I haven't even got the damn ring yet. I gotta see if there's any I can afford, first."

"It's about damn time! You guys have only been seein' each other for thirty damn years now!" Kai barked. "There's gonna be a wedding, right? Am I invited? I better be invited to this damn thing!"

"Well of _course_ you'd be invited!" Kaneda rolled his eyes. "Just do me a favor - don't cry when you're there!"

"Aw c'mon, Kaneda! Whattya take me for, a crybaby?" the younger biker retorted. Of course, his eyes had begun to well up with tears as he said that.

"But anyway, I can't go lookin' for the thing until after work," Kaneda said. "So let's this damn thing before someone comes back in with another one!"

"Gotcha," Kai replied, getting up to get the new filter.

Kaneda idly thought about buying something else while he was at it. A mirror - should he get one? If he did, it would have to be a big one; really big. Where would he keep it? He might be able to keep it in the storage room with his bike. But would it break too easily back there? How much do large mirrors cost, anyway? Maybe he should wait until he found out if that orange residue could come out in the wash first.

While he wasn't sure about going and getting a giant mirror, Kaneda _was_ sure of one thing: he was proud of his old friend. Proud that he had changed, and was no longer the psychic psycho he fought with before. Proud that he had done the right thing - and didn't go on a psychic rampage while doing it. Proud the very city that he had destroyed before - and was supposed to destroy again - he had this time sav-

Wait - hold that thought! Out of the corner of his eye, Kaneda saw another vehicle pull up to his garage. A rather large vehicle.

_Oh shit, please tell me that's not what I think it is..._ he thought.

He slowly turned around. The large vehicle was definitely a van. A van with water in it. _Dirty_ water!

_NOOOOOO!_ Kaneda screamed internally.

* * *

"Well Shin, here we are!"

Ryo and Shin, the two thugs-for-hire, had just arrived in Neo Sydney. They were making their way through the airport. Ryo couldn't be happier; Shin, on the other hand, looked worried.

"Good ol' Australia! No monsters here!" Ryo said, smiling. "While our old hometown cleans up after that blob thing again, we'll be livin' it up here!"

"I dunno, Ryo," Shin said, nervously. "I was talkin' to some guy on the plane, and he told me about somethin' called 'drop bears.'"

Ryo stopped. "..._What_ bears?"

"_Drop_ bears," Shin explained. "They're like koala bears, but they eat meat! The guy told me they jump down outta trees and maul people!" He looked really scared now.

Ryo just rolled his eyes and started walking again. "Oh, _please_! That's gotta be the most ridiculous thing I ever heard! Seriously Shin, ya can't believe everything ya hear! It's probably just some-"

Unfortunately, Ryo wasn't quite looking where he was going during his tirade, and he accidentally bumped his shoulder against a shelf of souvenirs out in the aisle. As he stopped to curse and rub his shoulder, a stuffed koala bear balancing on the edge of the top shelf fell off. It landed right on Ryo's head.

"Ahhh! What the hell-?" he shouted. He grabbed the toy and pulled it off his head.

"Ah, it's just a damn stuffed animal," he said. He nonchalantly tossed it back on the shelf. "People need to learn howta stack these. That's what they're gettin' paid for! Right, Shin?"

Shin, unfortunately, couldn't answer. He had just passed out.

**End.**


End file.
